Old Memories Relived
by MoonShard Kuronue
Summary: Kurama watched his friend Kuronue die at the palace in Makai. Years later in the present day, the spirit detective team comes across a girl with unusual abilities. What happens when Kurama recognizes these powers?
1. Possible Threat

Hello! Both this story and my other one have previously been posted on before under my friends account. So, if you are one of those who have read this story and have reviewed to it, I thank you. And I wish for you to review again if you feel like it cuz I feel bad about losing 20 reviews. Well, onto the story!

Old Memories Relived-

Chapter 1: Possible Threat

Two demons stopped for a moment outside of a palace. The kitsune flashed a stolen object to his partner, a bat youkai. They smirked before sprinting through the forest. A small sound was heard. It sounded like a chain breaking. The bat youkai froze and started running back the other way.

"Don't, Kuronue!" the kitsune yelled. His partner kept going. "I need it." He was referring to his pendant that had been caught in the bamboo. Kuronue retrieved it, but wasn't quick enough. Bamboo sticks fell from above him. They caught the youkai in his tracks. "Kuronue!" The kitsune's face was horror stricken. "Forget about me, Kurama! Go, run!" the fallen bat youkai cried to his partner.

* * *

Kurama bolted upright in his bed. He was drenched in cold sweat. "It was the dream again." he whispered to himself. Ever since they defeated Yakumo, Kurama had been having this reoccurring dream. Although, this dream was a memory that haunted him. Anger still flared inside of him, all of it directed towards the demon god who posed as Kuronue and twisted his memory.

His breathing slowly returned to a steady pattern. Kurama turned to his bedside table. The alarm clock's red numbers told that it was three in the morning. He let out a heavy sigh. His thoughts brought him to think about the next case that Koenma would give the team. It had been rather quiet since Yakumo's attempt to return the Netherworld.

Yusuke hadn't changed much. He still hated school and was still rude to Koenma. However, the spirit detective had become more protective of his friends. That's the same for all of them, even Hiei. Kuwabara is still a bonehead and the fire demon is still mysterious. Kurama looked back at the clock. It was six o'clock now. He had been lying there for three hours. 'This is going to be a long day.' he thought as he pulled himself out of bed.

* * *

"Yusuke!" A girl ran along the sidewalk after a boy in a green jumpsuit. "Yusuke! Stop!" Once she caught up with him, her hand collided with his head. "Ow! What was that for!" he yelled. "Did you not hear me calling you?" Keiko was walking next to her childhod friend. "No, I didn't." She hit him again, gaining another negative response. She then ran into the school.

After Keiko departed, Kuwabara walked over. "Urameshi! You could be a lot nicer to her." Yusuke ignored the oaf. The two teenage boys walked into the building and went to class. It was amazing that they weren't late. But someone was waiting for them. The blue-haired "schoolgirl" happily greeted the two.

"What's up, Botan?" Yusuke asked with a yawn. They sat down in the back of the classroom. Botan leaned in a little so no one outside of them could hear. "I've got a warning from Koenma. He says there is some strange flickers of spirit energy in this area." She paused. "Is it a demon?" Botan started again. "He's not sure what it is, but it could appear to be a threat." This answered Kuwabara's question.

The classroom was filling quickly. "I need to be going. I've told Kurama and Hiei. Just be careful." she stated. Botan scurried out of the room and disappeared. Yusuke stared at his friend. "So, I wonder what this thing is." Kuwabara nodded in response. Just then, Keiko came in with another person following behind her.

* * *

Ya like? Mesa hope so. Review, please! - 


	2. Strange Meeting

Hello again! Having a nice day? Nice weather we'rehaving, huh?Ok, I'll shut up and let you read.

Chapter 2: Strange Meeting

The pair that had just entered the classroom walked over to the teacher. Keiko said something to the teacher, and the other girl handed him a slip of paper. Yusuke and Kuwabara watched closely as their friend took her seat. Unfortunetly for the other, the teacher kept her at the front of the class.

The new girl looked like a gothic punk. Her long hair reached her waist and was black with bright red tips. Scary, empty black eyes looked over the students. She either lacked her school uniform, or she was rebellious like Yusuke. The outfit she wore consisted of black flared jeans, a red tanktop that read "If you are reading this clearly, BACKOFF!", and black combat boots. The teacher glanced at the paper before directing his class. "Class, this is our new student, Kurenai Nokimura."

Everyone stared, mesmorized by this new girl. "You may sit in the desk next to Kuwabara,  
Ms.Nokimura." She nodded and sat down where she was told. "Urameshi! She's creepy. And do you feel that?" Kuwabara said in a hushed whisper. The spirit detective concentrated on this Kurenai. He did sense it. She had a strong source of spirit energy. His thoughts trailed away from Kuwabara and the lesson being taught. 'Could she be the reason for the energy surges?'

Yusuke soon found out that Kurenai was in all of his classes. This valuable information came from a good source, Keiko. The 'A' student had been assigned to show the new girl around the school. Keiko told him that Kurenai was a polite and kind young lady. That theory was looking quite true when lunch came around.

The door to the roof flew open to reveal a yawning teenager. He walked to his favorite spot and plopped down. "Geez, if it weren't for Keiko, I would have ditched a while ago." he said aloud. Yusuke was about to take a bite out of an apple, but he then felt the presence of another. The red fruit dropped to the ground as he jumped up.

"Chill, will ya?" Yusuke turned around and looked for the speaker. "I'm up here." A hand waved to him from atop the raised part of the roof. The person sat up so he could see who it was. Once he saw the reason for his alertness, his muscles tensed. "Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously. "To be alone." Kurenai answered.

Her face was emotionless, however her eyes weren't. He couldn't really place it, but Yusuke saw something resting in her dark eyes. His thoughts were shattered when the door opened. "Yusuke, have you seen Kure-" Keiko stopped at the sight of the one she had been searching for. "Oh here you are. Have you two introduced yourselves?"

Yusuke and Kurenai looked at each other and then back at Keiko. "Not really." Yusuke mumbled. Kurenai held out her hand to the boy. "Kurenai Nokimura." she said. Keiko nudged him to take her hand. "Yusuke Urameshi." They had a friendly handshake before returning their arms to their sides.

Kurenai grabbed her bag. "We should get going. Lunch will be over anytime now." The other two blinked. "Yes. I'll come with you." Keiko turned to go downstairs. The strange girl stopped in front of the door. "Tell your friend, Kuwabara, that I'm not as scary as I look." She smirked and disappeared. The spirit detective stared after them. 'She doesn't seem evil, but then again...'

As two girls left, one arrived. Botan stood next to him. "Any news?" he asked, startling the grim reaper. "Uh, I'm not sure. All he said was to gather you and the others for a meeting."  
Yusuke said nothing. He stepped through the portal to the spirit world that Botan had made. She told him to go on and that she would get Kuwabara.

In just a few minutes, the spirit detective team was assembled in Koenma's office. The toddler sat in silence behind his desk, stamping papers that were piled up. "Would you stop that and tell us what you called fo!" Yusuke yelled at the child ruler. The stamping stopped abruptly. Koenma glared at the one who yelled. "Don't yell at me!" Yusuke was about to reply when Kurama cut in. "Please, Koenma. Why have you called us here?"

The loud yelling halted. "Hey," Kuwabara started as he looked at the fox. "Are you okay?  
You don't look so good." Everyone else suddenly became interested in the pale red-head. "It's nothing. Just a restless night is all." Kurama covered his mouth and a yawn followed. "You've been having a lot of those lately." Hiei commented. Kurama then felt something in his mind. He quickly blocked it off, but not quick enough. "The reason is a dream. One of the memory when Kuronue died." the fire demon finished.

"Well, back to the meeting." Botan changed the subject for Kurama's sake. Their attention returned to Koenma. "Right. As you know, the power that has been surfacing can be a threat. But we have limited the area in which it is coming from. From what we can deduct, it is someone from Kurama's neighborhood." Once again, all eyes fell upon the unsuspecting kitsune. "I have not detected any abnormal activity." he said.

Yusuke stood still for a moment before deciding to give his information. "Koenma, do you know if the source is demon or human?" The toddler shook his head. "Why do you ask?" The spirit detective didn't answer right away. "Kuwabara and I sensed a lot of spirit energy from a kid at school. I couldn't determine if it was demonic in any way." Kuwabara realized who he was talking about. "Yeah, the new girl. She has got some issues."

"A girl?" Koenma was a bit surprised. Kuwabara continued his rambling. "Yep. And she was scary. Creepier than some of the demons we've fought. Oooff!" Yusuke brought his fist back from Kuwabara's stomach. "Shut up and let me talk." No one bothered to aid the oaf. "What do you mean creepy?" Hiei asked. The talkative teen recovered from the blow and spoke again. "Like you. She was wearing black and red and looked like she could kill someone by glaring." The apparition was very close to pounding on him.

"Enough of the creepy buisness. What is her name?" Botan interrupted. She looked from Yusuke to Kuwabara. The annoying spririt detective opened his big mouth for the hundreth time. Yusuke punched him in the face and then replied. "Kurenai Nokimura."


	3. The Black Hearts

Yay! I got reviews. I'm happy. I give thanks to the following ppl who reviewed: animelover217-69, Sonya-White-Angel, Thorn Willowfly, and miniri02. And for animelover and Sonya, I will try to make the chpts longer. Ok, one last thing and then I'll let you read. The song in this chpt is actually part of a poem I wrote and it really sucks so...forgive me. Thanks and enjoy.

Chapter 3: The Black Hearts

"Kurenai Nokimura," Koenma took a moment to think. "I don't recall that name. George!" The startled blue ogre rushed into the room, out of breath. "Yes, Lord Koenma?" "Look up Nokimura in our data files. If anything comes up, bring it to me." George nodded and ran back out the door. Kurama leaned against the wall. "But, Koenma, what if she doesn't turn up in your records. She could be human." "Hm, good point. Botan," The grim reaper faced her employer. "Yes, sir?" "Sneak into the school and bring back the girl's record. There is bound to be something useful in there."

Without another word, Botan disappeared. Koenma turned his attention back to the four in front of him. "You should go back. I will send Botan if anything comes up." The others agreed and headed for the exit. "Oh, and Yusuke," The boy looked back. "Keep an eye on her." Yusuke frowned. "Whatever, shorty." He left the office before Koenma could yell at him.

* * *

The team returned to earth. Hiei decided to stay and the four walked down the sidewalk. "I think we should check around my neighborhood since that's where the energy is popping up." Kurama suggested. "Sounds good." "Hn." and "I have nothing else to do." were the replies he recieved. 

They were only a few blocks away from Kurama's house when Hiei stopped. "What's wrong, shrimp?" Kuwabara got a death glare thrown his way. "Quiet." Kuwabara was getting angry. "Don't tell me to be quiet! I am..." "Kuwabara," Kurama stopped him. Once he stopped talking, some sounds could be heard. "What the hell is that?" Yusuke strained to hear it. "This way." The kitsune and apparition ran around the curb. The human boys bolted after them to catch up.

The noise only got louder as they ran. Finally, an old abandoned warehouse came into view.  
It was one street over from Kurama's house. Yusuke started to bob his head to the beat. "That sounds like music. Rock music." They found a window and peered into it. There was a set of drums with someone beating on them, a person at the keyboard, two guitarists, and someone at the front microphone.

A small creeking sound was made as the window opened. One by one, they quietly climbed in. They stood inside, hiding the best they could. Yusuke obviously liked what he heard because he kept moving his head. But Hiei also seemed to enjoy the music. He watched the band closely. The lead singer was a girl with a beautiful voice.

"You want me to be like you

You want me to desert my ways

You want me to give up my personality

But that isn't going to happen.

No one is going to tell me what to do

No one is going to run my life

No one is going to own me, or control me,

Or keep me away form my destiny."

"Wicked! That one was perfect!" exclaimed one of the guitarists. The girl faced the guys with the instruments. "Nice job on the guitar solos, guys." she said. The drummer walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you did an excellent run, Rei." They started messing with the speakers and amplifier. The four upstairs watched their expressions. "Who are they?" Yusuke wondered aloud. "No clue, but they're good." Kuwabara tried to shift his weight, but couldn't see what he was doing. That was his downfall, literally.

His foot slipped on a metal sheet and fell from the ledge he had been on. CRASH! Everyone in the warehouse quickly looked at the pile of empty boxes where the noise came from. "Baka," Hiei muttered. "Who's there!" one of the boys called out. Kuwabara tried his best to get up out of the boxes. He stood up only to trip again. "Show yourself!" The girl called Rei yelled. The baka finally got up and faced the strangers.

An embarrased look crossed his features. "Uh, hello?" A tall man around the age of twenty stepped in front of the girl protectively. He had messy brown hair and was wearing baggy, blue jeans with a black T-shirt. "Who are you?" "Kuwabara. His name is Kuwabara." Three other teens jumped down from the ledge. "And he's an idiot for falling." Yusuke concluded.

Rei stepped around her protector. "Yusuke? Kuwabara? What are you two doing here?" It was then that the said ones realized who the girl was. "You!" Kuwabara startled everyone. The man in front turned to the one next to him. "Rei, do you know them?" She nodded. "Kurenai is the new girl at our school." Yusuke said.

"Excuse us." Kurama said. "Oh," Yusuke side-stepped to reveal them. "This is Kurama and Hiei." Kurenai did the same and then introduced her group. "This would be Ryo on drums, Togusa on keyboard, Iwasaki on the electric guitar, and," She punched the man next to her. "Sanzo." Sanzo pulled her into a playful choke. Kurama stole a glance at Kurenai before speaking. "Your band sounded really good. Do you have a name?"

Sanzo let go of Kurenai so she could talk. "The Black Hearts." Hiei looked up at the name. 'Interesting.' he thought. 'She doesn't look or act like an insignificant human. And her spirit energy is abnormal for that of a ningen.' "Why don't you guys go on back? I'll catch up later." The band members agreed and packed up their things. Sanzo was the only skeptical one. Kurenai reassured him, then he left with the others.


	4. Opened Files

I'M BACK! Did ya miss me? I'm soooooooo sry for leaving and putting this story on hold. But now I'm back in action. Here's the next chpt which you all have been dieing to read. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Opened Files

"That guy is really protective of you." Yusuke pointed out the obvious. Kurenai put the speaker she was carrying in behind a machine. "Yeah, sorry about that. He's like my big brother, so he is going to be that way." She picked up a few other things and placed them in the same area. "Do you need any help?" Kuwabara asked, a little uneasy. "No thanks." The spirit detective let out the breath he was holding.

Kurenai walked back over to them. "How did you four get in here?" The team looked at each other. "The window." Hiei put it simply. "Yes, we heard something and came to see what it was." Kurama added. The girl took a seat on a large crate. The rest followed this action and found something to sit on. "I'm surprised you actually came in." she said. "Most people around here think this place is haunted. Of course, that's probably because of the music."

Yusuke noticed that she never smiled the entire time. Not while she was singing, or talking, or anything. It was like earlier that day. Her face still emotionless. Once again, he searched her eyes for an explanation. But this time he found something. It was pain and loneliness. He hadn't seen it before. She jumped off the crate and picked up her bag. "I need to get home. It was nice meeting you." She bowed to Kurama and Hiei. "See ya later!" she said as she left the warehouse.

They themselves were about to leave, but was stopped from doing so. Botan landed in front of them. "Hello." she greeted happily. "Guess what I have." Yusuke sighed. "Kurenai's school record." "Bingo!" The blue-haired woman opened the folder that was in her hand. "Let's see. Oh my," This got the team's attention. "What is it?" Kuwabara asked. "Well, she has been moved around in foster homes for years. Right now she is living with a man named Sanzo Kishiro."

"Wait, isn't that the Sanzo we just met?" No one answered Kuwabara's question. "What happened to the girl's parents?" Hiei asked although it sounded more like a demand. Botan read further down the paper. "It says they were killed in a car accident nine years ago. (A/N Kurenai is 16, the same age as Yusuke and Kuwabara. In human years anyway.) She was put in foster care at age seven, and has been in and out of them since. It was just two years ago that Sanzo took her in."

Kurama thought over what he just heard. "So, Sanzo has been taking care of her. That explains why he is so protective of Kurenai." The guide to the Spirit World looked confused. "How do you know Sanzo Kishiro?" Yusuke took the liberty of answering."He's in the band she is in. We kinda discovered their studio." He gestured to the old building they stood in. "Oh." "Is there anything else?" the spirit fox questioned. "Ms.Nokimura has been sent to the school's phsyciatrists many times. The report said the sessions didn't help."

"Why was she sent to the shrink?" "Well, teachers thought she was depressed because she wouldn't talk to anyone. I'm guessing it is her parents' deaths that changed her." Botan looked sorry for Kurenai. Before anymore questions could arise, Yusuke's communicator went off. He got it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "What's up, Koenma?" The child ruler was obviously worried about something. "I need all of you back here now." he said frantically. The call ended and the object was put away. "Let's go."

* * *

Koenma sat fidgetting in his chair. "We have to get rid of this threat." he mumbled, unaware that five people had entered. "I take it you found out what it is." Koenma spun around to meet them. "Not quite." The ruler stood up in his teenage form. Hiei walked into the light. "Then why are we here?" He didn't answer. He just continued fidgetting with his cloak. "Lord Koenma?" Botan took a few steps towards him.

He sighed heavily. "This threat is getting stronger. It's power level has risen." His pacifier made a soft noise when he bit it. "We need to find whatever this is and eliminate it." The room was silent for a few minutes. The door creaked open slowly. "Lord Koenma, sir?" a blue ogre stepped in. "I've got the files you wanted on Nokimura." He put them on the desk in front of him. Then he left the office. Koenma picked up the folder which was very thin.

He read through each paper carefully. "The only Nokimura that we seem to have information on is Murasaki Nokimura." Something in the back of Kurama's mind was rambling about this name. In order to get it to stop, he asked Koenma who the woman was. "Well, she was a komori demon. She was part of a royal family in Makai and is believed to be the last member." The voice didn't stop like the fox had hoped so he tried again. "I'm guessing Murasaki Nokimura is no longer living." Koenma nodded. "Nine years ago, she went for a walk and didn't return. When the guards searched for her, they found her body. Someone really hated Murasaki because she had been brutally murdered."

Kuwabara blinked. "That's funny. Kurenai's parents died the same time that woman did. What's up with that?" The rest of them couldn't believe his ignorance. "Baka. Murasaki is Kurenai's mother." Hiei said. "I agree with Hiei. This can't just be a coincidence." Kurama spoke. Botan materialized her oar. "We should keep an eye on Kurenai." She and the four guys returned to the human world.

* * *

I'm sry that this chpt was so short. But I'll update again real soon. Plez review! - 


	5. In the Shadows

Another chpt has arrived. Thank you to those who reviewed chpt 4. And yes, the Rekai Tantei will be snooping around, like in this chpt for instance. R & R!

Disclaimer: "In the Shadows", the song in this chpt, is not mine. It is by a group named Rasmus (i think i spelled that right). I just didn't wanna get sued. -

Chapter 5: In the Shadows

Once back in the human world, the team went to their homes. Botan also left them after making sure they were informed. Hiei quickly ran off somewhere. Yusuke and Kuwabara turned the corner and were out of sight. Kurama walked down the street near the warehouse. The streets were silent and empty.

"Who could've murdered her? I can't believe it." Yoko said over and over. "How do you know her?" his human host asked. Yoko sighed. "Murasaki was a good friend of mine back then." "Girlfriend?" Kurama questioned. "No. Atleast I don't think so." "You mean you still don't have all of your memories back yet?" he yelled. Yoko, surprisingly, flinched at the human's sudden outburst. "No, I haven't. But I'm sure that that girl looks familiar."

Kurama turned into his neighborhood. "Kurenai could be a demon, so you make the connection." "But I don't remember Murasaki having a child." His house came into view and he quickened his pace. He opened the door, looked around, and saw his mother in the kitchen. "I'm home." Mrs.Minamino smiled at her son. "There you are. I was beginning to get worried." She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry, Mother. I was at Yusuke's house and their phone is not working." He hated lying to her, but it was better that she didn't know.

His mother released him and returned to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. Could you please tell Ryouma that?" "Yes, Mother." With that, he went upstairs. Before he went to his room, he stopped at the home office. "Come in." someone said when Kurama knocked. He opened the door to find his stepfather at the desk. "Ah, Shuichi. How was your day?" Ryouma asked. "Eventful to say the least. And yours?" he replied. "Busy as always. So, what can I do for you?" "Dinner will be ready in an hour." They exchanged a few more words, then Kurama departed to his bedroom.

He closed the door behind him and plopped on the bed. "I can't think with this headache."  
His eyes searched his room for something to get his mind off of the pain. An answer came soon enough. A powerful wave of demon energy caught the fox's attention. Kurama sat up quickly, making his head hurt even more. 'What was that?'

* * *

Hiei sat in a tree outside of Genkai's temple. His eyes darted over the building until they found the person he was looking for. Yukina was in the kitchen cooking. Watching over the ice apparition had become somewhat like a hobby. All his free time went towards making sure his sister was safe. Hiei never expressed it, but he desparately wanted to tell Yukina. Tell her that the brother she has been searching for is here. The demon's thought session was cut short when a flare of demonic ki showed itself. After one last glance at Yukina, he followed the trail of the energy.

* * *

'Hopefully it is still there.' he thought. Kurama had snuck out of his room and was now running to the area containing the demon. The sound of footsteps stopped a few minutes later. He joined Hiei in standing in front of an apartment building. "You felt it, too?" "Hn." Kurama looked around, unable to find anyone else. The fire demon knew what his partner was searching for. He gestured to a window on the third floor of the building behind them.

The fox saw a girl sitting at a desk through the glass. Kurenai was writing something and erasing frantically, obviously getting frustrated. "It could be her." Hiei said flatly. Kurama continued to watch Kurenai. "Do you think it is?" No answer came. They stood in silence for a few minutes. "Go home. I'll stay here." Hiei jumped into a nearby tree so he could still see the window. Not being able to argue with the apparition, Kurama started walking home.

He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes left to get back to his room. "Plenty of time." His pace turned into that of a run. He climbed up to his bedroom window and shut it after entering. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Mrs.Minamino opened the door and peaked inside. "Dinner is ready."

* * *

Hiei sat in the same tree, bored to death. It had been an hour since Kurama left and nothing happened. Kurenai finally closed her notebook and put it away. He saw her turn on the stereo. Curious of what it was, the fire demon climbed higher in the tree to get closer. The supposed demon walked into an adjoining room. The window was slightly open and the music flowed out.

"No sleep, no sleep until I'm done with finding the answer  
Won't stop, won't stop before I find the cure for this cancer  
Sometimes I feel like going down and so disconnected  
Somehow I know that I am haunted to be wanted

I've been watching, I've been waiting in the shadows for my time  
I've been searching, I've been living for tomorrows all my life."

Kurenai came back in with a box. Hiei was careful to not let her see him. She dropped the box in the middle of the floor. The wooden crate made a loud noise when it hit, most likely making the people downstairs quite unhappy. It was black with metallic locks and hinges. The fire apparition couldn't see what its contents were when the lid was opened. However, he did see them as Kurenai took them out.

One by one she pulled out weapons of all kind. Two jewel encrusted daggers were laid next to each other followed by a small case. She opened it to reveal six throwing knives. It was then placed by the daggers. A couple of small bombs, more bladed weapons, and a few scyths were brought out. 'Scyths?' Hiei thought. Kurenai stood up and recovered something long that was wrapped in fine silk. After untying the strings, she took off the covering. Hiei wasn't surprised it was a katana.

"They say that I must learn to kill before I can feel safe  
But I, I'd rather kill myself than turn into their slave  
Sometimes I feel that I should go and play with the thunder  
Somehow I just don't wanna stay and wait for a wander

I've been watching, I've been waiting in the shadows for my time  
I've been searching, I've been living for tomorrows all my life

Lately I've been walking, walking in circles, watching, waiting for something  
Feel me, touch me, heal me, come take me higher."

"Why the hell does she have those weapons?" he wondered. Unfortunetly, he wondered it outloud. Kurenai jerked her head up to look at the window. This quick movement caused her to cut her hand with the blade she was cleaning. "Dammit." she cursed. Hiei looked back through the glass. Her hand clenched into a fist. Blood started dripping on the floor, barely missing the clean knives. She left into the other room again and was back in ten minutes. By then, Hiei had disappeared.

* * *

Oooooooooo, bad Kurama. That's bad sneaking out and lying. Lol. Next chpt will be coming to a website near you. Review! 


	6. Reunited

HI! Ok, I forgot to mention in the last chpt that I have absolutely no clue what Kurama's stepfather's name is so I just made it up. Sry. I will also tell u that I have abandoned my otehr fanfic in hope to come up with one that doesn't suck. So I will be posting ideas for fics on my profile so plez go to that and read at the bottom. It will explain it there. Thanks.

Chapter 6: Reunited

The next day was Saturday. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei were on their way to Genkai's temple. The main part of their visit was Kuwabara's desire to see his beloved Yukina. They had reached the bottom of the stairs when the oaf yelled, "I told you she was a psyco!" Hiei had just finished telling them about the night before. "She is a crazed killer!" "No, she's not. A demon uses weapons, you idiot!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara argued all the way up the steps. The bickering teens didn't even notice they had reached the temple. "Yo, Genkai!" One of the doors opened. Genkai stepped out to meet the spirit team. "Dimwit, there is no need to shout." "Yukina!" The spirit detective ran off to find the ice apparition. "I know why he is here. What about you three?" "Another demon problem." Yusuke put it simply. "Come inside."

The remaining three members followed Genkai inside the temple. "There have been energy spurts coming from a demon. We have an idea of who it is, but we're not sure." Yusuke explained. Genkai sipped her tea. "And how can I help?" Kurama finished up what the detective had started. "Do you know a way to expose a demon's true form?" The old fighter was a bit shocked. She thought for a moment.

"Yes." she finally answered. "How?" After another drink she said, "Get this demon of yours into a situation where he has to change in order to survive." "She." Hiei corrected. "What?" "The demon is a new girl at my school." Yusuke said. "Interesting." she commented. Genkai left the room to refill their cups.

"How are we suppose to make Kurenai change into her demon form?" The guys sat in silence. "We could confront her and tell her that we know who she is." Kurama shifted a bit. "Hn. If you do that she will kill you." The fox took this into consideration. "True, but she may not. Kurenai may not even be evil. Look at how she has been so far." "I'm with Kurama. Even if she does attack us, we can defend ourselves."

"Hello, again!" Botan walked into the room behind Genkai. "Hey." "Did you come up with anymore information?" Hiei stood up and walked to the exit. "Where are you going, Hiei?" Kurama asked. "To do something useful." He left in a blur of black. "So, is that a yes or no?" The guide sat down and took a cup from the tray. Yusuke and Kurama took a drink, too. "We know that Kurenai has a collection of weapons. I doubt that that helps with the demon part though." Yusuke told her. Botan pushed up the sleeves of her pink kimono. "How do you know that?" The fox was done so he answered. "Hiei watched her last night. We both felt demon energy and went to find who it was. Once we got there we saw Kurenai through one of the windows of the apartment building. He said he would stay in case it returned."

The spirit detective stood up. "We should get going. I promised Keiko that I'd go to the movies with her." He then walked off to find Kuwabara. Kurama and Botan helped clean up before they, too, departed. The spirit fox and guide to the Spirit World walked down the sidewalk. "Where does she live?" Botan asked with a smile. "This way." He led her to the building from last night. "You said the school records stated that she lived with Sanzo?" he asked, a little confusion edged in his voice. His companion nodded. "Strange." Now Botan was confused. "What do you mean 'strange'?" "Hiei said that no one else was in the apartment but Kurenai."

"Sanzo could have been out." she suggested. The young man removed a piece of hair from his eyes. "No. There is only one bedroom and nothing in there points to someone else living with her." The deity of death was about to respond, but Kurama cut her off. "Kuronue," Botan looked to where his gaze was. On the roof of the building were two demons battling. One looked like a lizard youkai and the other a komori demon.

The sun's rays made the black wings of the creature glimmer. Its long black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, a few strands hung alongside its face. Pointed ears and long fingernails stood out. The komori had a red pendant around its neck and held a very sharp scyth. "Botan, get us up there." he demanded. She complied and summoned her oar. She took the kitsune to the roof where the lizard demon was just killed. When the winner turned to see who was there, Kurama's jaw almost dropped.

"Kurenai," he managed to get out. Botan stood next to Kurama as the bat was about to run.  
A voice in his head echoed in his ears. Before he could try to stop it, Yoko found a way out. Kurama's eyes turned golden and his hair silver. He grew taller while his clothes changed to white garments. His tail followed right behind the other changes. The human was gone, replaced by the legendary thief. The komori ran to the edge of the roof. Her wings expanded, ready for flight.

"Kurenai Nokimura! Get your ass over here. Now!" She froze. 'That voice. It can't be.' Doing as the kitsune said, she folded her wings back and slowly turned around. Her eyes widened. She tried to speak, but nothing would come out. Botan took a few steps back. The deity knew Yoko wouldn't harm her, but she was still apprehensive. "Botan," She jumped when he called her. "Leave us. Tell Yusuke and the others to meet at the spirit detective's house at three." When she didn't move or answer, he faced her. "I will not hurt the girl."

Botan sensed he was telling the truth and nodded. She flew off, leaving the demons alone on the rooftop. "Now don't tell me you did this for fun." He smirked after glancing at the corpse of the reptile. Kurenai still looked stunned. Her face was drained of color and her dark eyes were focused on the youkai. "This can't be. You were killed. Rumors in Makai told of your death." she said. "It is me." Yoko stated. She glared at him, readying her scyth. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

The kitsune took a step forward. This only made Kurenai tighten her grip on the blade. "Not very trusting, are you?" She lunged at him. Yoko dodged the attack as well as the next one. He pulled out a rose which lengthened to his famous rose whip. Just like him, Kurenai dodged the whip. However, she couldn't escape the fist that hurled itself into her side. The komori landed on her feet clutching her now bruised limb. "You're still the same little brat I remember. Of course, you get it from your father. Kuronue always was a fighter, not a talker."

Kurenai's head snapped up at the mention of her deceased father. "Yoko," He stopped in front of her and nodded. She dropped her weapon and slowly walked to him. "I thought you were dead." She fell into him, holding on for dear life. The fox returned the hug. "I was attacked and injured. So I took refuge in the body on a human. You can let go now. I'm not going anywhere." She backed up, atrue smile gracing her lips.

Yoko's own smile turned to a snarl. "Damn human." He smacked his head to get the ningen to shut up. Kurenai had no idea why her godfather was talking to himself. it didn't help her confusion when Yoko turned into Kurama. "We should head to Yusuke's. Come on." he said.


	7. A Discussion and Hearing Voices

Two chpts in one day. You ppl better be happy. My hands are starting to cramp up. Ow!

Chapter 7: A Discussion and Hearing Voices

Kurenai walked in silence next to Kurama. She had returned to her human form before joining him. Her thoughts consumed her. She was thinking about Yoko being Kurama, the demon that attacked her, and her father. Kurama saw her grab a hold of her necklace. "Still have that I see." Kurenai glanced at him and then at her father's pendant. She nodded. "Father died to get this back. It is the reason he's dead, but..."

"But?" Kurama pushed on. The komori sighed. "It's the only thing I've got left of him." "That's not true." She looked at the fox. He put his hand on her shoulder. "You still have the memory of Kuronue in your heart. The memory of Murasaki, too." They continued to walk on with Kurama leading the way.

The two of them reached the spirit detective's apartment. Before the kitsune could even knock, the door opened to reveal Yusuke. He was wearing blue jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. From where they stood, they saw Kuwabara and Botan sitting in the chairs and Hiei on one end of the couch. "What's up with the meeting?" Yusuke asked. "May we come in first? Standing in the doorway isn't very comfortable." Kurama stated. "Uh, yeah. Sorry." He opened the door to let Kurama in. He them realized that Kurenai was there, too.

She slowly walked behind the kitsune. Kurama took a seat on the other end of the couch. This left Kurenai to sit between him and Hiei. The fire demon said nothing when they came in. Yusuke sat back down and looked at Kurama. "What is this all about?" Kuwabara asked. "First, Botan, could you contact Koenma?" The deity of death nodded. She pulled out the communicator and tried to reach him. "Lord Koenma?" she said when the toddler appeared on the screen.

Stamp, stamp, stamp. "Oh, hello, Botan." "Koenma, Kurama wishes to speak with you." Botan handed the small object to him. "When was the last surge?" he asked as soon as he got the thing. Koenma was a little surprised at the question, but answered anyway. "About forty-five minutes ago." "Thank you." Kurama closed it and tossed it back to Botan. "Wasn't that when the incident on the roof happened?" she asked when she caught the communicator. "Yes."

Kuwabara hadn't been paying any attention to the conversation. He had been staring at Kurenai. 'She's creeping me out. Why does she have to be here?' 'Do I scare you that much?' "Ah, who said that?" They stared at him. "Baka, no one said anything." Hiei crossed his arms and leaned back. Kuwabara ignored him and the others. 'Calm down. I'm just tired.' 'Yeah, you should get some rest. You don't look so good.' He jumped up out of his chair. "There it is again!" Yusuke did what he always does when Kuwabara is being an idiot. Hit him.

'Does he always do that when you act like a fool?' the voice said inside Kuwabara's head.  
This time it happened, Hiei looked at the one sitting next to him. "Having fun?" he asked her. Kurenai turned to him. "Are you one, too?" "Hn." Yusuke was getting frustrated. "One what?" "Telepath." Hiei answered. "She's doing a very good job of scaring the oaf."

Said oaf's face relaxed before tensing again. "Hey! Stay out of my head!" Kurama sighed.  
"Why are you scaring him, Kurenai?" "Because he still thinks I'm creepy. I would've done more, but he caught me." She glared at Hiei. "Spoiling my fun deserves punishment." "Hn." The red-head's eyes flashed gold then back to green. Kurenai saw this and closed her mouth knowing that Yoko did not wish for her to fight. "Back to the matter at hand. Fox,"

"Kurenai killed a lesser demon on the roof of her apartment building earlier. Botan and I had seen her. She was in her demon form and I took her for someone else." "So you are a demon." Yusuke interrupted. "Who did you think she was, Kurama?" The fox sighed heavily. "Kuronue." Once again, the spirit detective stopped him. "Your old partner?" Kurama's patience was drawing thin when another person cut him off before he could say anything.

Kurenai leaned forward and put her weight on her arms, using her legs for support. "Kuronue was indeed Yoko Kurama's partner. He was killed during one of their theft jobs. Later, Yoko was injured and now resides in Kurama's human body." "And how do you know this, Ms.Creepy?" Kuwabara was only asking for pain. "Kuronue was my father, so naturally Yoko is my godfather." This information surprised them all. Hiei even became interested. Botan spoke up. "Kuronue is your father, Murasaki is your mother, and you are a telepathic bat demon. Yoko is also your godfather. That would explain why you let him out earlier."

The boy quickly flushed. "I didn't let him out, he forced his way out." "You changed?" Kuwabara questioned. Kurama nodded. "Why did you call Koenma about the surges?" Yusuke asked while slouched in his chair. "Kurenai is most likely the cause of them. She was in her demon form when the last surge occurred." A second after he finished talking, something started ringing. The bat youkai pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. "Excuse me." She got up and walked into the kitchen to take the call.

Hiei listened carefully to hear her. "Hello." Someone mumbled over the phone. "Really! That's great." The other person sounded male to Hiei's ears. "Wicked. I'll stop by the warehouse to pick it up and then I'll meet you there. See ya." Kurenai hung up, put the phone away. and went back to the others. "I've gotta go. We just got a gig for tomorrow night. All of you are welcome to come." Botan stood up preparing to leave as well. "Where is it?" she asked. "At a club on the other side of town, The Underworld."


	8. The Underworld

I'm a Beige Raccoon. I took an animology test online yesterday. It was fun. Any of you male readers happen to be a teal cat? Just kidding. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: The Underworld

After Kurenai had left, the others discussed what to do with the situation. "We can just leave her alone. She doesn't need us for any reason." Kuwabara started. "I can't." argued Kurama. "Yoko won't allow me to. Now that he has his memory back it's hopeless." "I'll talk with Koenma about it. Now that we know what was going on, we don't have to worry." Botan mounted her oar and flew out of the open window.

While Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama watched the guide leave, Hiei escaped the apartment. The others didn't see him leave until they heard the door shut. "Are you going tomorrow night?" asked Yusuke lazily. "Are you out of your mind, Urameshi! We can't go to the Underworld. I've heard that that place is full of bikers, gangs, and addicts." "Not to mention you must be eighteen to get in." the fox smirked. Kuwabara was really steamed up and looked nervous, too. But finally he grumbled an agreement to go.

* * *

When the key was turned, the lock on the chain popped open. Kurenai opened the cellar door and closed it behind her. She walked down two flights of stairs. The second door she came to creaked when she pulled the handle. It lead to the lowest level of the warehouse. "Now to find that cloth sign." The young woman started rummaging through a pile of boxes and chests.

From one of the many ledges in the building, the fire demon watched the search. He had been able to follow her back here. 'What is she looking for?' Kurenai had been through at least twenty boxes before a sigh of relief was let out. "I thought we had lost it." She glanced around at the mess. "Sanzo really needs to come up with a filing system." Out of an old brown crate, she removed a folded cloth.

Hiei teleported closer to the ground. He stopped when an unknown youkai crept its way over to Kurenai. The demon got close enough to spring out of the shadows and attack. And that's exactly what it did. The komori spun around with a dagger in her extended hand. The sharp blade would have planted itself in the side of the creature's head if someone's hand hadn't stopped it. A strong grip held onto her wrist while the demon was lying on the floor.

Kurenai stared at the guy who grasped her wrist. "Hiei. What are you doing here?" He let go of her and crossed his arms. "Hn." She put the dagger back in the strap under her pantleg. "Hn doesn't answer anything." Hands on hips, she stood waiting for a response. Luckily for Hiei, her phone rang. "I'll deal with you later. Hello. Yea, I found it. Ok, I'm coming." When she turned around, he was gone.

* * *

The next night, Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan walked up to Kuwabara's door. "Come in!" someone yelled. They slowly opened the door and walked in. Shizuru entered the room with her little brother right on her heels. "You ready?" Yusuke asked. Shizuru eyed her brother suspiciously. "Ready for what, bro?" Kuwabara gulped. "We're just going out." "Where?" "A club." "What club?" When he didn't answer she asked again more forcefully. "The Underworld." he mumbled under his breath.

Shizuru stopped and stared at the boy. "Are you crazy? You wouldn't last five minutes in there. Plus, you're not old enough. So why are you four going there?" "A friend of ours is playing in the band." Kurama told her. The elder Kuwabara sighed. "Fine. But you better be back before Mom and Dad find out." The younger sibling thanked his sister and left with the others.

"Thanks a lot, Urameshi." Kuwabara said sarcastically. "Look, you got out, didn't you? Now come on." The small group turned down an alleyway ten minutes later. At the end of the narrow path was a tall, muscular guy standing in front of an open door. They walked up to him and the guy stopped his conversation with some other men. "And where do you think you're going?" Botan stepped behind Kurama. "We're here for the show. Gotta problem with that?" asked Yusuke in a not so polite manner.

The bouncer straightened his back and crossed his arms over his chest. He towered a good foot over Kuwabara. "Depends." "Bull!" From behind the road block, they saw a familiar face walk over. Kurenai stood next to the bouncer. "Lighten up. They're a few friends of mine." "Why didn't you say so? Well, Rei, it's nice to see you hang out with kids your own age." the man called Bull laughed and stepped aside. She gave him an evil grin. "Watch it, big guy." she playfully told him.

"Follow me." Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Botan were led to the bar. "Take a seat." They sat down on four empty barstools. The blue-haired girl beat the oaf to the seat between Yusuke and Kurama. That left Kuwabara sitting next to a drunk man. Kurenai hoisted up onto the bar. "Excuse me, Butch." she said to the drunk when she spun and jumped off behind the counter.

A fat guy in his late thirties with greasy blonde hair walked past. "Rei, four beers on table seven." he said. "Will do." she replied. Yusuke spoke up. "You work here?" She nodded. "I have for two years. Sanzo got me the job." She took four cups from under the counter and filled them up. "Who are you?" "Oh, I'm Botan. It's nice to meet you, Kurenai." "Same here." Kurenai walked off to a table.

Some guys across the room started eyeing the teens. "I told you this place was full of fugitives." Kuwabara snapped. Kurama looked around the room. "There's no stage." "It's in another room." The komori came back over. She put away the empty glasses and took the tip off the tray. "Speaking of that, what time is it?" Yusuke glanced at his watch. "Quarter 'till nine." "Hey, Ginji! My shift's up." She removed the rag from her knee-length, black skirt. Her black boots came up to two inches below the skirt. Her shirt was also black, long sleeves, and had a green dragon on the front. "Let's go."


	9. Showtime

Sry this one took so long but I have been working on my new fanfic. Plez check it out. Go to my profile and find the story Every Rose Has Its Thorn. It doesn't have Kuronue in it, but u still might like it.

Chapter 9: Showtime

They followed Kurenai into another room. Inside was a much cleaner bar, a stage, a huge dance floor, and tables and chairs. The people in here were different, too. Punks, goths, and other similar groups hung out. Kurenai once again headed to the bar. This time she went behind it using the opening. "Want anything?" she asked when they sat down. One by one they answered. "Soda." "Soda." "Soda." "Beer." Four sets of eyes darted to Yusuke. The komori smirked. "Four sodas it is." "Hey, no adult is stopping me from drinking."

"But she is. Make it five." Kurenai gave the guy with the pacifier a weird look. She shrugged it off and went to work. "Koenma, what are you doing here?" asked Botan surprised. "I'm here for a break, and bad news." he sighed. "What is it?" "The strange power has not disappeared." They all looked at the one who just put the drinks down. "Don't look at me. I don't use any of my demon energy when in my human form." Kurama looked confused. "Then what can it be?"

A waitress came up to the counter directing Kurenai. "Could you get the man in the corner before you go on, Rei? My boyfriend just got here." "No prob." The woman walked away with a smile on. "So, who exactly are you guys?" The komori was very curious about their knowledge of demons and how they obtained it. "I know about Kurama, and Hiei is a fire apparition. But the rest of you aren't normal humans."

Koenma almost choked on his drink. After coughing a few times he asked, "You don't know?" She shook her head. "We never got around to telling her." Kurama said. The teenage Koenma sighed. "I am Lord Koenma. My father is King Enma, Ruler of the Spirit World. Yusuke is the spirit detective of earth. Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei join him in fighting demons." Kurenai had picked up the paper the waitress left behind and was preparing the order. "And Botan would be?" "The guide to the spirit world." the girl finished.

"I've heard of the spirit detective team. And of course stories float around about King Enma and his son. I never would've guessed that guys like you beat Team Toguro in the Dark Tournament." The bat youkai refilled Kuwabara's cup then put the bloody Mary she made on a tray. "There's an empty table closer to the stage if ya'll want a better view. The show will be starting in fifteen." she told them before walking off to a table not far from the one she pointed out. "Let's move closer." Yusuke said while getting up. They moved from the bar, taking their drinks with them.

Kurenai stopped when she reached the table. "Here's your bloody..." She froze when the man looked up at her. Her face showed nervousness and fear, but only for a moment before she became emotionless. "Why the hell are you here?" The man's lips creeped into an evil grin that sent shivers down her spine. His hair was an unusual dark blue that strayed to his broad shoulders. Like most of the people there he was dressed from head to toe in black. His trenchcoat hid the hilt of a sword and a silver chain hung from his neck.

"You know very well why I'm here. Rumaru is tired of you running away from him and killing all of his servants." His deep voice could make any girl melt, including her. Some of the sluts at the next table were giggling and trying to flirt with him. He smiled which only made it worse. Kurenai felt like she was going to throw up. "Why is he after me, Shinya?" She glared daggers at the man. "I can't say." Shinya replied. "All he told me was to bring you to him. But," He stood up. The girl now had to look up at him. "That can wait."

Shinya took her hand in his. Kurenai tried to pry his hand off, but it was no use. "Let go of me." she hissed. "Or what?" "Rei! Come on. We've gotta get ready." Iwasaki yelled from across the dance floor. Shinya's sea blue eyes looked into hers. "We'll finish this later." he smirked. Kurenai pulled her hand away and quickly walked away when he sat down. She came up to Iwasaki and helped him carry the guitars to the stage. "Everything alright?" he asked. She glanced back at Shinya, then to her friend. "Yeah."

Ten minutes later the floor was full of people dancing to the music. Yusuke and the rest were having a good time it seemed. They watched the band play with a sign behind them. It had a red heart with black liquid spilling over it from where a dagger stuck out. The words across the topread BLACK HEARTS. Kurama noticed that Kurenai was distracted by something. He followed her gaze to a man in the back of the room. After five songs, the band took a break. Botan went with Kurenai to the restroom and the guys chatted with the musicians.

The fox went over to Sanzo. "Do you know who that man is?" He pointed the stranger out to him. "No, but Iwasaki said that Rei was talking to him earlier. Ask her when she and Botan get back." Sanzo pushed through the crowd to his destination leaving Kurama wondering. "Stop it." he said in his head. "Your growling is giving me a headache." "Then you go find out who that guy is." Yoko shot back.

Lucky for him, the girls came in sight and headed over to him. "What's wrong?" she asked. Kurama debated on whether or not to ask. But in the end Yoko won. "Who is that guy you were talking with earlier?" Kurenai was taken back. 'Damn it.' "Just some guy that's been here a few times." The fox could tell she wasn't telling him the truth. "Okay." he said. The band soon started playing again.

It was late when the show was over. Everyone had left for the night. "What! It's one in the morning! I'm so dead!" Kuwabara complained. "We need to go." Koenma stated. Botan opened up the portal and Koenma went through followed by herself. The spirit detective stretched and yawned. "That was fun. Now it's time for some sleep." The others agreed. "You guys go ahead. I need to finish up a few things." Kurenai pulled her hair up in a ponytail. "Are you sure?" Kurama asked worried. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." She saw them out and returned to the stage. "Oh Kurenai, my sweet."

* * *

Sry this one was so short. I think the next one might be longer. Review!


	10. A New Villian

Here it is ppl! The moment u all have been waiting for is here. The cause for the enegy surges is revealed, sorta. So enjoy and review!

Chapter 10: A New Villian

"Yusuke!" Keiko scolded. He had overslept and missed first period. And unfortunetly for him, Keiko found out. "It was only math." he said with a yawn. She sighed and walked away in defeat. Yusuke looked around the hallway. He spotted Kuwabara slowly walking into their history classroom. "How much trouble did you get into?" he asked when him and his friend sat down. "None. My parents were at a party. They didn't get home until an hour after I did." Kuwabara slumped in the chair,too tired to sit up.

'No use talking to him. He's wiped out.' The door closed and the teacher started writing on the blackboard. Over the chattering of the students, he didn't hear the door open then close. Kurenai quickly crept to her desk next to Kuwabara. "Nice going." Yusuke complimented her on sneaking in late. His mouth hung open a bit when she turned her head to look at him. Running from the corner of her eye halfway across her cheek was a fresh cut. It looked deep enough to leave a serious scar if she were human.

"What happened?" Kurenai shook her head so black locks would cover the wound. "I was tired and tripped last night going up the stairs to my apartment. It's nothing." she said. Yusuke wasn't convinced. He watched while she pulled out a textbook from the bag on the floor. Her sleeves moved up as she searched for a pen revealing bandages. "What kind of fall creates injuries that need this much treatment?" He grabbed her arm and she flinched. "Ugh, I fell into a mirror. A few cuts is nothing." She pulled away from him.

The spirit detective glared at her. "You're lieing. Kurenai, what are you trying to hide?" She glared back at him. Yusuke then saw clearly what he had before. Pain was evident in those black eyes. 'Pain?' "I'm not hiding anything. It's none of..." The komori flinched again and stared of into space. "Kurenai? Rei? You okay?"

A voice started speaking in her head. "Getting a good education?" "What do you want?" she said telepathically to the one invading her mind. "You, of course. But since you won't come peacefully, I'll have to play dirty." "What do you mean?" "You're about to find out." Kurenai felt someone lightly shaking her shoulder. "Ms.Nokimura?" The teacher tried to get her attention. "Yes?" "Something has happened." Her face told him she was confussed. "Your guardian, Sanzo Kishiro, is in the hospital."

Everyone in the room stared at her. 'No. Rumaru,' Kurenai ran out of the room and out of the school. She became tempted to fly to the hospital, but resisted the urge. People on the streets stared at her while she bolted through the crowds. The double doors of the medical center flew open. The komori breaked in front of the counter. A nurse jumped when the girl stopped. "Sanzo Kishiro, what room is he in?"

* * *

"Mr.Tanaka, what happened?" Yusuke asked. The teacher still had pity in his voice. "Mr.Kishiro was attacked outside of his home. When help arrived, his attacker was gone. The police were going to take Kurenai to the hospital, but..." he trailed off. Kuwabara was awake since Mr.Tanaka came over. He glanced at the clock at the front of the room. "Urameshi, there's only an hour left of school." The teacher resumed his lesson. "We're going to talk to Kurenai after this." The spirit detective turned back around in his seat. 'This is going to be a long hour.'

The time finally passed by. The bell rang through the school's hallways. "Come on. Pick up the pace!" Yusuke yelled back to Kuwabara. "Shut up!" They reached the hospital and went inside. It didn't take long to find the bat demon. She was sitting in a chair in the waiting room, staring at the floor. The two boys sat next to her on either side. "How is he?" asked Yusuke sympathetically. No response. "Kurenai," She looked at him with anger and hurt evident on her face. "He's in surgery." Both guys said no more about it.

It felt like an eternity of waiting. Finally, Sanzo's doctor came into the waiting room. The three of them stood. "How is he?" Kurenai's voice was a little shaken. "Sanzo is out of surgery. He's stable, but we won't know if it did anything until he wakes up." The doctor sounded doubtful which scared her. "When will that be?" she urged him to tell her. "There's no way to tell. However, I am warning you now that Sanzo is in critical condition. His injuries are severe and he's lost a lot of blood." Kurenai felt her legs about to give way. "You can see him in recovery." She nodded and walked away. Kuwabara started to follow, but Yusuke stopped him. "She needs to be alone with him for a while."

The boy complied and sat back down. Yusuke went to the front desk. "Excuse me." The woman looked up from her work. "Yes?" "Is there a phone I could use?" She placed a beige colored phone on the counter in front of him. "Here you go." she said before going back to the forms. He picked it up and dialed the number. It rang a couple of times before someone answered. "Hello?" "Hello, Mrs.Minamino. This is Yusuke. Is Ku-Shuichi home?"

* * *

"Shinya!" The guy walked into a dim room. "Yes?" Shinya asked from the doorway. There was a dark haired man in a red cape sitting at a long dining table. "Where is she?" "She is at the hospital along with that spirit detective brat." The man took a sip of his wine. "Excellent." he chuckled. "Rumaru, what if she refuses to join us?" Shinya questioned.

There was a moment of silence. Rumaru stood up from his seat. "The girl will join us or the rest of her friends will die. I swore from the day Kuronue killed my son that I would get my revenge. When he himself died, I had to find some other means of vengeance. Killing his lover wasn't enough. However, that bitch saved her daughter even in death. So now that I am finally in the human world, I can make Kuronue's own child dishonor him by joining me."

* * *

Now u know why Rumaru is after Kurenai. If u want more, go push that little purple button in the left corner and type a review.


	11. Tears of Mixed Emotions

Lucky u. Two chpts in one day. I hope u r thankful. If u r, u know how to show it. Review!

Chapter 11: Tears of Mixed Emotions

Once again, the doors of the hospital opened and Kurama entered. He walked into the waiting room where he spotted his friends. "Where is she?" Yusuke turned around to meet him. "She's in the room. You might want to go comfort her." The red-head nodded and went upstairs to Sanzo's room. He knocked and slowly opened the door.

Inside, Kurenai was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Sanzo lay motionless. He had cuts on his face, his arm was in a cast, and he was hooked up to a monitor. Kurama slowly walked next to Kurenai. "Let me out!" Yoko yelled in the human's head. "No. We're in a public place. There are humans around." "There's no one in the room except Sanzo and he's unconscious." "Oh, fine." Shuichi gave in and Yoko took over.

Kurenai felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Her godfather saw tears that were threatening to fall. The walls she had built around her emotions were crumbling. They had been rebuilt when she came to the human world, but this put a hole through them. Along with this, Yoko saw the gash on her cheek. "What happened?" he asked as he slowly ran his hand across the cut. She turned away from him. "I fell off the stairs into a mirror." Her voice was soft.

The spirit fox knew there was something she wasn't telling him. "Don't lie to me. I've known you since you were born. I know your habits and I can tell you're lieing." Kurenai whipped around to face him. "How could you possibly know me that well?" she shot back in a pissed off tone. "You left Makai seventeen years ago! Not even a year after Father died. Mother raised me the best she could up until nine years ago when she was murdered. You may have been my father's friend and you may be my godfather, but that is not reason enough to tell you anything!"

Yoko was speechless. Frozen in his spot, unable to move. her outburst surprised him to the full extent. "Kurenai," he whispered. She stared hard at him before turning and facing the wall. "Do you even know what being a godfather means? It means taking care of a child when the parents die. When both of my parents died, were you there to take care of their child, Yoko!" Unable to control her anger anymore, Kurenai rammed her fist into the concrete wall. Fresh blood seeped through the bandages.

Kurenai fell to her knees, tears freely falling. The fox knelt down behind her and wrapped his arms around the girl. "Kurenai, I'm sorry. If there was anything I could've done, I would have. But now I must watch over you. Please understand that coming to the human world was my only option. Now that I've found you, I won't leave." The komori turned into his embrace. Yoko could hear her mumble apologies into his chest.

When he finally pulled back, he asked her once again what happened. She wiped away the tear trails from her face. Then she stood up and sighed. "It was a fight." "With a demon?" Yoko pressed on. "Yes. His name is Shinya. He was at the club last night." The scenes from the previous night played over in his head until he remembered the guy she had talked with. "He was that strange man from the club? Why didn't you tell us that he was there?" It was then that the kitsune noticed how much she was bleeding. Not only were her knuckles busted, but her injuries from the fight had reopened from the force of the punch.

"Nevermind. You can explain everything at your apartment after we get you cleaned up." The kitsune switched to his human form and allowed Kurama to take control. He walked over to the door so they could leave. Before joining him, Kurenai kissed Sanzo on the forehead. She gathered her things and followed him to the waiting room. Kurenai barely turned the corner before Togusa caught her by the shoulder. Ryo and Iwasaki came up behind him. "How is he?" Ryo asked. The bat demon looked him in the eye. "He's stable according to the doctor. But they've got him hooked up tooxygen machine."

The three guys became tense. "Sanzo is sleeping, but you can see him. Look, I'm going home so call me there if anything happens." Kurenai said softly like before. Togusa squeezed her shoulder lightly. "It's okay." "Yeah, we understand. We'll see you later." Iwasaki added. The teen nodded. Kurenai left the hospital with Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara.

* * *

The trip back was uncomfortably silent. They arrived at Kurenai's place quicker than they thought. The bat demon quickened her pace so she could get inside. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara struggled to keep up. They almost ran into her when she suddenly stopped. "Do you find pleasure in creeping around my apartment?" The guys looked in each direction to see who she was speaking to. 

Hiei jumped down from the tree. He glanced at Kurenai's bleeding arms and then at her face.  
"Find anything interesting?" she asked. "Why did you allow me to read your mind?" The others waited to hear an answer. Kurenai stared hard at him without anger or fear, but with grief. The bat demon pushed Hiei out of the way and entered the building. "Now look what you did, shrimp." Kuwabara said mockingly before following Kurenai and Yusuke inside.

"Please, Hiei. She's going through a tough time right now." Kurama told him. The fire demon crossed his arms over his chest. "We need information on the demon. She is the only one who can give it. Kurenai must put aside her feelings in order to help complete this mission. If you won't push her to do this, then I am fully prepared to do it for you." With this said, Hiei left the kitsune and went after their source. Kurama slowly strolled upstairs behind him. 'First the spying, now the protecting. He really does like her.'

* * *

Ya like Kurenai's little emotional scene? I just realized that I forgot to put a disclaimer on this and my other story. Whoops. Well I'll do it now. I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. There we go. Let's see, I want atleast 20 reviews before I will post the next chpt. That's only five more ppl. U can do it. 


	12. Disturbance

Waahhhhh! I didn't hit my 20 review mark. Meanies! But I can't stay away from the keyboard. And I couldn't wait to give you guys the next exciting chpt. You ppl are a bad influence on poor Kuro. O well. I've been tainted long b4 writing fics. I would like to thanks everyone who has reviewed to this story and my other one. Thank you, friends! And I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chapter 12: Disturbance

"The living room is down the hall. Please wait there and I'll be right back." Kurenai told her guests while weakly pointing to her left. She then walked through the hall in the opposite direction to a distant room. Kurama was tempted to go after her, but decided against it.

The four boys sat down in the living room and waited for Kurenai. She came back rather quickly. Instead of sitting down herself, the komori went into the kitchen which was connected. She stopped at the sink and turned the hot water on. "What do you want to know?" The question surprised the others. They didn't expect her to be asking.

After a short, silent moment, Kuwabara asked what had been plaguing him. "Before we get into the demon buisness, answer me this. Why don't you live with Sanzo?" The girl tensed a bit, but then relaxed. Steam started to rise from the sink. Kurenai turned the knob to stop the flow of water after making sure the stopper was secure. "When he came to me two years ago with the proposition for him to be my guardian, I was estatic. But I told Sanzo that I would accept only if I could live on my own. He agreed and set me up here. My purpose for doing so was to allow myself to live in my demon form. If he was around, I wouldn't have been able to do so."

The bat demon had changed into dark loose pants with a white wrap tied around her waist and a blank tank top. She was now tearing the bandages off her arms. Kurama got up and went over to her. He gently grabbed her hand and removed the bloodstained wraps. She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at her godfather. The shame and guilt wouldn't let her. The fox wanted desperately to help her. He would do anything to take her pain away, but he couldn't.

"What of the demon that attacked you?" Hiei said. "Shinya was following orders. He works for another demon called Rumaru." She started to wash the blood from her hands and arms. Kurama had sat back down. Yusuke shifted on the couch. "Care to elaborate?" he said getting bored. The komori dried off and went to stand near Hiei's chair. He stared at her for a second before speaking. But not to where the others could hear.

'Go stand by Kurama.' Kurenai glared at him. 'There is nowhere else to stand! This place is too small.' she yelled. An angered fire demon dropped the arguement. It was the bat who angered him, but for a different reason. Hiei turned his head so as to not look at her. "Excuse me." Yusuke grumbled sarcastically. "Sorry." the komori replied. Her next words were stopped when the person next to her cursed. "Bandage that up. I do not wish to inhale the stench of blood." After their friend's statement, everyone saw that a wound on Kurenai's forearm had slowly began to bleed.

Unexpectedly, Kurenai started to chant under her breath. It didn't take long for bat wings to protrude from her back and the wounds to heal. "Happy?" "Hn." Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara managed to hold in their laughter when Kurenai mumbled something that sounded like "bastard".The little fight ended, and the explanation came out. "It is Rumaru who has been causing the energy serges. All I know about him is that he is after me to seek revenge against my father."

Kurama thought, or rather Yoko thought back to try and come up with a memory of this demon. Nothing came to mind. "I don't recall a demon by that name. He must've been a lower class demon." he said aloud. "Not anymore. He's become very powerful. It seems that Rumaru has been training since my father wronged him." Kurenai's wings expanded and retracted a few times. "Why do you keep doing that?" Kuwabara asked, unable to keep it in any longer. "I don't know. It's just a habit." was her reply. The fox smiled. "It's because your anxious. Kuronue used to do the same. It drove Murasaki crazy."

"So," Yusuke started, "What did Kuronue do to Rumaru that made him so mad?" The komori shrugged. "The only thing I've gotten out of Shinya is that Rumaru wants me to join him. I haven't a clue as to why." "Well maybe Koenma can tell us more about him." The spirit detective dug through his pocket in search of the commmunicator. He found it, but let go. Hiei and Kurenai both yelled out in pain before falling to their knees, each clutching their head.

A loud voice rang through the telepaths' minds. "Trying to seek refuge in these humans and demons," the voice boomed. "You cannot hide from me." Hiei heard Kurenai scream back telepathically. "Stop! Damn you, Rumaru!" Both were obviously oblivious that Hiei could hear everything. "You are doing this to yourself. Join me and I'll end your pain. Refuse and your new friends will suffer." This stung the komori like a dagger. The fire demon didn't hear a reply. All that came was Rumaru's continued threat. "Shinya will be waiting." The voice was then gone. They could hear nothing as the blanket of unconsiousness fell over them.

* * *

Hiei slowly opened his eyes. The sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara's bickering surrounded him, bringing back the pain in his head. He quickly sat up to find that he was on the couch. Kurenai was nowhere in sight. "Finally up, eh?" asked Yusuke. "Where's Kurenai?" he asked automatically. "In bed." Kurama came over from the kitchen with a glass of water. "Can you tell us what happened to you two?" Hiei took a sip of the liquid, but stopped mid-drink. He didn't feel Kurenai's presence.

The fire demon got up from the couch and ran to the bedroom. The bed was empty and the window open. He spotted a note on the dresser. The others came in just as he pushed back through and left the apartment.

* * *

REVIEW!


	13. Just Beyond Reach

Sry for the long wait. School is keeping me from writing, I'm currently pissed off at my karate instructor, and I'm exhausted. Please forgive me. Hope you enjoy. And review!

Chapter 13: Just Beyond Reach

"Kurenai!" yelled Hiei when he was inside the abandoned warehouse which served as the Black Hearts' studio. 'Where is she?' He looked around, but found no one. He didn't sense her here. 'Rumaru said Shinya would be waiting. But where!' The apparition started cursing himself for blacking out earlier. Halfway through his stream of self-pity, a picture flashed in his mind. It was of a building, one he recognized as the Underworld. He had followed Kurama and the others there when they went to see Kurenai. Without dwelling anymore on it, he ran off in the direction of the club.

* * *

Yusuke pulled his head back into the room from the open window. "I don't see her." he told Kuwabara and Kurama. "She must've woken up and left after Kurama checked on her." The taller human plopped on the bed. "Why did the shrimp run off so quickly? We don't even know where she went." The spirit fox picked up the letter Hiei had dropped.

_Yoko,_

_I'm sorry you and the others got mixed up in all of this. Rumaru is my problem and I dragged you into it. Sanzo has already suffered because of me. I do not want any more pain to come to the people I care about. Godfather, you did not let my father down in your promise to protect me. This was my decision, not yours. Please forgive me._

_ Kurenai_

Fear swirled inside him, mixed with his swelling anger. 'Damn that girl! She's trying to take matters into her own hands.' Yoko growled. 'Don't get angry at her. She just doesn't want us to get hurt.' Kurama tried to reason with the fox. 'Kurenai still should not of run off alone. It is times like these that I wish she was more like her mother. Murasaki never would have done something this stupid.' Even in this distress, Kurama couldn't help but smile at Yoko's last remark.

A beeping sound had the three guys looking at Yusuke's jacket pocket. "We've got trouble."  
Koenma frantically said when Yusuke opened the screen. "Yeah, no kidding." the detective grumbled. "This is serious, Yusuke! Another serge has errupted and this time it's not ending." "What?" Kurama and Kuwabara went to stand beside the detective so they could see the child ruler. Koenma calmed down and began to explain. "The demon responsible for this is no longer trying to hide his whereabouts. His power level is rising."

"Where is Rumaru?" asked Kurama. The fox knew that Kurenai was in danger and Hiei, too, since he went off after her. "Rumaru? Is that the demon?" He nodded in confirmation. "The signal is coming from downtown. It's from the cave where you fought Sensui." Koenma stated. "Wait up," Kuwabara started. "You mean to say that Rumaru is hiding out in the same cave where all of those demons almost got out. He's not going to try to do what Sensui tried, is he?" Yusuke shut the communicator. "Let's not wait around to find out."

* * *

"Ah, there you are." Shinya sat at one of the tables in the club. It was early and the Underworld was not yet open. "It would seem that Rumaru's plan worked." Kurenai stood perfectly still when he stood up and walked to her. He started to walk in circles around the komori. "Come on, cheer up. You'll like working for him. Plus," Shinya stopped and lifted her chin with his hand. Kurenai could barely keep herself from punching him. She didn't dare do anything for she feared her actions would hurt her friends.

"We can spend a great deal more time together." The dark blue-haired demon pulled her into a hard kiss. Now, more than ever, Kurenai wanted to knee him where it hurts. She cringed when he bit her lip, but Shinya was in a lot more pain as he met the blade of a katana. He jumped back grasping his right shoulder. Hiei stood in front of Kurenai. "You little..." He ran at Hiei with his own blade. The clash of a katana against a broad sword had the bat youkai covering her ears.

The two fighters were caught, blade to blade, each pushing to gain control. At first, Hiei had the advantage, but Shinya overpowered him. The fire demon was being pushed back. Kurenai searched for a place to intervene. She found her mark when Shinya stepped forward to push Hiei further back. The dagger whipped from its concealment to the komori's hand. She aimed and then threw it. It planted itself into Shinya's thigh. The demon cryed out and backed away.

He pulled the dagger from his leg. He glared from Kurenai to Hiei before he vanished. Everything was still. When Shinya didn't reappear anywhere, Hiei turned to the girl. 'Are you hurt?" he asked with a little sympathy in his voice. However, inside he was frantic.

Kurenai slowly stepped towards the fire demon. She didn't stop until there was a foot and a half of space between them. Before Hiei could react, the komori slapped him across the face. "You idiot! You could've been killed!" Hiei was stunned. He couldn't believe what she just did. "You're the idiot! Going off alone was foolish." he shot back. "I had to." she hissed. Kurenai wiped away a trickle of blood from her lip. "Besides, if you thought I was such and idiot then why did you come after me?" His answer slipped out unconsiously. "I was worried about you!"

It hit him a second later. 'I really was worried.' Hiei discovered why this girl made him so mad. He liked her, but wasn't able to show it. The komori abruptly stopped sucking her bottom lip. "You were...worried?" Like him, Kurenai didn't show emotions too often and wasn't sure how to react. Unfortunetly, neither of them got a chance to try. Shinya appeared behind Kurenai. He grabbed her and was out of sight once again.

* * *

Dun dun dun. It's a mini cliffy. Hehehe. I think I just had too much sugar. O well. Sugar is good for u. Review!


	14. First and Final Kiss

I am soooooooooooooooo sorry for taking almost a month to update. School is the main reason accompanied by my problems w/ my karate instructor and me getting a boyfriend. But this chpt is longer than all the others so hopefully that is enough to take ur threats down to just hurting me instead of killing me. Well, here's wat u've been waiting for. R&R!

Chapter 14: First and Final Kiss

Three teenage boys ran through the streets headed for an old cave. Demon Mouth Cave came into view. They got to the opening and stopped. Kurama couldn't stand it any longer. The human form twisted to that of Yoko Kurama. Kuwabara jumped when the fox made his entrance. He jumped again when Hiei teleported near them.

"Where is Rumaru?" the apparition scowled. Yusuke pointed down the cave. Yoko and Hiei sprinted into the darkness of the tunnel. The detectives followed. Two blurs of white and black recovered their outlines when they stopped in the room where Sensui and Yusuke had fought not too long ago. "Welcome. I'm glad you could make it." said an eerie voice. It came from the man standing in the middle of the cavern. He stood tall, his red cape reaching his knees. The smile that was plastered in his face was that of a lunatic. He brought it down a knotch, losing the teeth.

Yoko let out a low growl. "Rumaru, I assume." "You assume correctly, Yoko Kurama. It's nice that you came to try to save your best friend's daughter." He chuckled at the fox's expression of confusion. "Yes, I know that you were Kuronue's partner. But, I guess that wretched bat never told you about me." At this point, Hiei was trembling with anger; the opposite of Yoko who was, in lamest terms, keeping his cool. "Where is she?" Rumaru chuckled. "What's the rush?" The apparition drew his sword. "Damn it, where is she!"

Rumaru's twisted smile faltered, but it resumed its place a second later. He snapped his fingers and a cloud of red smoke formed a few feet off to his side. Once it cleared, Shinya stood next to his master carrying the komori youkai. "I'm afraid she is exhausted from our little party." Shinya said, knowing all too well that it would steam the fire demon. Hiei's grip tightened on the katana. "Let her go." stated Yoko as calmly as he could. "I don't think so. She's the reason I came to the human world. And now that I have her, we can return to Makai."

"What did Kuronue do that would have you going after Kurenai?" "Well, Yoko, it's a matter of equality. He took my child away from me, so I am returning the favor." The demon's grin widened. It was then that Yusuke and Kuwabara reached the cavern. The detective saw that everyone in the room had not seen them. He thought it the perfect moment to use his spirit gun. He crept along the cave wall. Yusuke was almost ready to shoot when he steped on a dirt clod. And since the majority of the people there were demons, the sound did not go unheard.

Heads turned to the noise. At first look it seemed to be a bad thing that the element of surprise had been lost for the detective. But this was the perfect opportunity for Yoko and Hiei. The kitsune dashed to Rumaru while the fire demon headed for Shinya. Rumaru turned back around just in time to evade a punch to his face. Shinya, on the other hand, wasn't that lucky.

Fist to face contact was made when Hiei reached his destination. It didn't do all that the apparition had hoped it would. The punch did knock Shinya back, but he still had Kurenai. Hiei teleported behind the demon with his sword drawn, ready to strike. Shinya, more worried about his own safety than that of his charge, moved out of the way leaving the unconsious girl to fall to the ground. The fire demon stopped his attack and caught Kurenai before she hit.

He blinked over to where Kuwabara and Yusuke were watching the fights. "Get her out of here." Hiei commanded of them. "But we can help defeat..." Yusuke was cut off. "No. The important thing is to get Kurenai to safety." the demon said firmly. The teenagers didn't get the chance to argue anymore for Hiei went back to deal with Shinya.

Yoko didn't seem to be getting very far in his confrontation with Rumaru. Neither of them had landed an effective hit. "I'm getting bored with this, aren't you?" chuckled Rumaru before jumping back away from the kitsune. "Shinya, get the girl!" Hiei's opponent smiled and winked where the others were running to the exit. "Kurama!"

When Shinya reached Yusuke and Kuwabara, a cage of thorns surrounded him. "What the hell!" The plant prison took Yoko's attention off of Rumaru. Next thing he knew, he was flying backwards from a blast of electric energy. "Wrong move." smirked Rumaru. He stalked over to where everyone else was grouped together.

"Get away!" Yusuke pointed his finger at the demon. The tall boy next to him formed his spirit sword. Rumaru kept walking. "I warned you!" The spirit detective's fingertip began to glow a faint blue. But before he could fire his spirit gun, Rumaru held both of his hands out in front of him, lightening shooting out from the palms straight towards the teenage boys. They were hit dead on, slamming them into the stone wall and causing Kuwabara to drop the komori.

Kurenai hit the ground. She had started to stir when Yusuke and Kuwabara had hightailed it to the exit. The collision with the hard surface fully awoke her from the weariness. Her dark eyes darted over her surroundings. Yusuke and Kuwabara were struggling to stand, Yoko doing the same about ten yards away. She saw Shinya trapped in the cage of thorns and Rumaru walking to her. The demon stood over her with the sickest look of glee plastered on his face.

"It's time to go, my dear." he said. Kurenai crawled away in an attempt to create space enough for her to fly into the air. It was useless. The mans grin grew. But, locked in his own determination to get the girl, Rumaru forgot about the one person still roaming free. Hiei sprung out of nowhere and slashed at the demon from behind.

Rumaru sensed the apparition and dodged the attack. He jumped back as Hiei stood protectively over the komori. "This is getting old." said Rumaru. He held out his hand. A flash of lightening shot out like before. But this time it hit the cage around Shinya. It surged for a moment, miraculously not harming the one inside, before the vines crumbled in scorched pieces to the ground.

The rest of the Rekai Tantei had recovered from the shock(AN:no pun intended) and were now hurrying to surround Kurenai. Shinya ran at Yoko maniacally with his sword raised. The kitune was about to block, but the man and his weapon disappeared in the middle of the attack. He made his presence known once again when the sword slashed at Yusuke. The boy never saw it coming, but luckily for him, Kurenai did. She whipped out her scyth to stop the blade from making contact.

"Enough!" bellowed Rumaru. Kurenai and Hiei suddenly felt a familiar pain in their heads.  
That same pain from just a few hours earlier. But this time, they weren't the only ones. Yoko, Yusuke, and Kuwabara fell to tehir knees. Although, it was different than before. It was worse. The pain was nearly five times worse. "It's time to choose, Kurenai! Come with me or watch the slow and painful deaths of your friends!"

The bat demon's eyes lined with tears of physical and emotional pain. 'This can't be happening! Father, why did you have to die? None of this would be happening if you were still here.' She looked around at her friends, her godfather, and the one she had fallen for. Kurenai tried to beat the pain and stood up. "Stop! I'll go! Just stop this!" she yelled. Rumaru smiled and let up on his mind attack.

"Good. Come along then." Rumaru turned and walked back to the center of the cave. Out of nowhere, a glowing orb formed two feet above the ground. The opening grew until it was big enough for someone to step through. Rumaru looked back over his shoulder and smiled (AN: he does that quite often, don't he?). Shinya sheathed his sword, walked over to the portal, and disappeared inside. The demon still standing there looked Kurenai straight in the eye.

A chill ran down the komori's spine. This was it. She could no longer run away from her fears. She took a step forward, but Hiei caught her arm. "No." he said sternly. The others made to move towards her, but they were stopped in their tracks by some unseen force. Unseen, anyway, until they looked back to Kurenai. She had her free hand outstretched in front of her facing them.

"What the hell!" Yusuke exclaimed. "I can't move!" Him and Kuwabara struggled against the invisible binds. Yoko knew it was futile to try t escape. Kurenai was determined to keep them out of danger and she wasn't going to let up. "Kurenai! Don't do this!" yelled Hiei. The komori demon easily pulled her hand from his frozen grip. She looked at him with eyes full of love and sadness. "I'm sorry, Hiei." she said leaning into him. Hiei felt her lips on his. Somehow overcoming the binds, he returned the kiss fully.


	15. Surprise Help

Hiya! I hope this makes up for me not updating quick enough. Thanks to all you ppls that reviewed to the last chpt and any of the chpts in general. Now, onto the next part of the story.

Chapter 15: Surprise Help

The demon dodged through the thick trees of the forest. The sun had fallen over an hour ago, the full moon now residing in its place. But the kitsune didn't care. He was determined to find her. It had been the same everyday and night for the past month. Luck was not on their side.

Yoko stopped running and leaned against a tree. He stared up to the stars lingering over Makai, his mind streaming back to a day a month prior. The last day he'd seen Kurenai. They had watched helplessly as she walked through the portal, keeping the Rekai Tantei glued to the floor. She had immobilized them to keep them from following her. And it worked. Once Kurenai and Rumaru had gone and the portal to Makai closed, the binds had broken, but it was too late.

They had lost a day in the search for Koenma couldn't get them to Makai until the next day. Yusuke and Kuwabara had stayed behind in the human world while the two demons went after Kurenai. Yoko and Hiei had found few clues to the whereabouts of Rumaru. One demon told them Rumaru had passed through the area a week ago, but he did not know his current location. Another gladly said he'd seen a cute young bat demon in the forest, with some mild threats and gestures from Hiei. Neither did any good in finding the komori.

The kitsune brought his eyes back down to the fire apparition standing before him. "Any luck?" he asked having a strong feeling that the answer would be no. Hiei shook his head, cursing under his breath as he did so. Yoko sighed heavily.

"What did Koenma mean by sending help?" asked Hiei. The kitsune had forgotten about that. The day they left for Makai, Koenma said that he would send help as soon as he could. It had been a month and still no word. "Not sure. We didn't exactly stay in Spirit World long enough to ask." the fox replied. Hiei stared at him for a moment. Satisfied that he was to say no more, the apparition looked away. Yoko smirked at his behavior. He'd been acting ackward around him since they got there. Yoko had assumed that it was because of the kiss Hiei and Kurenai shared in front of him.

Another hour had passed while the two companions ate their meal. It was a quiet dinner, both having their minds on more important things than conversation. After they finished eating, Yoko and Hiei stayed together and searched for two more irritating hours. Fatigue was creeping upon the demons, but they moved on. Not wanting to show any sign of weariness to any unseen predators, Hiei quickened his pace. The kitsune kept at a steady run until his ears picked up the sound of a sword sliding out of its sheath. He sighed and hurried to catch up to the fire demon.

When he caught up, Yoko saw Hiei lowering his sword and a startled Botan. A familiar orb floated behind the grim reaper. She quickly composed herself and smiled. "Greetings!" she said cheerfully. Hiei put away his katana. The kitsune walked closer to them. "Hello, Botan. What brings you here at such an hour?" "Something that could help." Botan's smile faded. "Have you found her?" From the grim expressions on their faces she could easily guess the answer.

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest. In an attempt to change the subject he said, "So, what is this thing that is supposed to help us?" Botan seemed to cheer up a bit. "It is more of a who than a what." The kitsune's forehead scrunched up in confusion, Hiei looking just as lost. The portal behind the blue-haired girl glowed bright. Someone emerged from the light a second later. The man stood tall, his hat adding to his height. His pointed ears stuck out from beneath the hat. The long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Black wings spread out from side to side then folded back. The demon smirked. "Hey."

Yoko stood with his mouth agape, not believing what was in front of him. How was this possible? Botan seemed to have read his mind. "You better be grateful. Getting him out put Koenma a month behind in paperwork." She smiled. "Well, I have to go. Good luck." With that, she stepped back through the portal and both disappeared.

"I thought you were dead." Hiei bluntly said. The kitsune had regained his senses and turned a dirty look on the apparition. "I am. Koenma thought it best that I help in the search for my own daughter. He explained to me what has happened." was the bat demon's reply to Hiei's rude statement. Yoko immediately remembered his encounter with the demon god that disguised himself as the komori now standing not five feet from him. 'Thank you, Koenma.' he thought to himself.

Kuronue walked over to his old partner and put a hand on his shoulder. "I am deeply grateful for all that you have done for Kurenai, my friend." The fox was at a loss for words. What was he saying? How could Kuronue be grateful if Yoko failed at protecting her? But the answer lied in the komori's face. He knew that it wasn't his fault. Yoko smiled at his long dead partner. "It is good to see you again, Kuronue." "Likewise." The fire apparition cleared his throat. They looked at him and then back to each other. "We'll start in the morning." stated Yoko. The three found a safe place and were soon sleeping, gaining energy for the day ahead.

* * *

"Kurenai!" Rumaru stormed through the underground tunnels in a rage. He had specifically told the girl to steal both gold rings and what does she do, return with only one! "Kurenai!" Everytime he sent her to retrieve something, she would always find a way to do just enough to consider the job done. Rumaru had put up with the girl's games for the past month, but they were getting worse. "Kurenai!" Fed up with calling for the komori, he turned into a room serving as the dining room.

Shinya was sitting at a round table in the middle of the room eating some grotesque looking meat. "Can't find her?" he said with his mouth full. Rumaru cast him a dirty look. The other male swallowed the rather large piece of meat in his mouth and took a sip of his wine. He mumbled something incoherent while rummaging through his pockets. "Aha!" He pulled out a small black object that resembled a remote of some sort. "Here." Shinya tossed it to his master. The demon caught it and squeezed it in his right hand.

The object sparked from the electrical energy Rumaru was pouring into it. A second later,  
the two demons heard a stifled scream echoing from somewhere in the caverns. Rumaru seemed less agitated when he gave the strange contraption back to Shinya. "Don't you think that was a bit much?" Shinya asked. The only other time he'd seen the torture make the girl scream was for when she outright kicked Rumaru in the face a few weeks ago. "How else is she supposed to learn the error of her ways?" Rumaru retorted.

It was then that Kurenai appeared in the doorway. "What the hell is it now?" she spat out.  
Rumaru motioned for her to move closer. She took one step forward. The lightening youkai frowned, but suddenly drew pleasure from the trickle of blood trailing down Kurenai's left arm from the intricate armband constricting her biscep. "You should learn to come when I call you." he stated with one of his gruesome smiles. Kurenai rolled her eyes when Rumaru had turned his back on her. He quickly turned back around when Shinya snickered.

"What were you supposed to do today?" The komori instantly knew where this was going. She had only stolen one of the two golden rings from a rivalring demon of Rumaru's. Easily could she have taken both of them, but she found pleasure in disobeying Rumaru no matter the cost. Kurenai didn't answer. Rumaru continued anyway. "You will go back and get the other tomorrow, understand?" Still she didn't respond. "Leave us." growled Rumaru with a wave of his hand.

Kurenai left the room and headed back down the hall. A few short minutes later, she went into her room, which was more of a prison, and slammed the door. She plopped down on the poor excuse for a bed. "Hiei," she whispered to herself. "Yoko. Father." Unknown to her, the very men she was thinking about weren't far away.


	16. No Longer Lost

I kept my promise! Yay! Sry for the long update. This is ur thanksgiving gift, so enjoy. R&R!Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 16: No Longer Lost

"How's it going?" the spirit detective asked anxiously. Him, Kuwabara, and Botan were huddled outside in the schoolyard. Botan shook her head. "Not so good I'm afraid. I'm hoping that with Kuronue's help they will find her soon." she told them. Kuwabara cocked an eyebrow. "Kuronue? I thought he was dead. Kurama told us he was killed in Makai." "He did. Koenma was able to bring him back for a short period of time to aid in the search for Kurenai. Kuronue is the one who killed Rumaru's son, not to mention Kurenai's his daughter." the woman replied.

It was then that Keiko walked over to the group of three. Yusuke had explained to her what had happened. At first she couldn't believe it. She had thought that demons, with the exception of Hiei and Kurama, were evil. It took her a while to believe that Kurenai was a demon, but she did in time. "Hello, Botan." she chirped when she stood next to the grim reaper.

"Oh, hello, Keiko." Yusuke immediately closed his mouth. Although Keiko knew about the Spirit World and everything, he still didn't want to get her involved. "Yusuke," The boy looked up at his name. Keiko glared at him. "Why weren't you in first period?" "Overslept." he said bluntly. The girl sighed, fed up with Yusuke's stupid excuses. "Whatever. If you want to ruin your life, Yusuke, go ahead. See if I care." With that, she walked off.

The stunned spirit detective stared after the retreating girl. He couldn't believe what Keiko just said. Normally she would have scolded him to no end, but she walked away. "Was I the only one who heard that?" he asked no one in particular. Kuwabara glared at Yusuke. This time he'd gone too far. Keiko wasn't going to put up with him any longer. Yusuke knew it, too. He jumped to his feet and ran after her.

* * *

"Slow down! If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to get rid of me." Shinya's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Kurenai rolled her eyes and increased her speed. After the last incident, Rumaru didn't trust her to do the job right the second time around. The arrogant demon sent Shinya along to make sure she completed her theft correctly.

The komori went on, jumping from tree to tree with ease, a feat she knew Shinya had trouble with. She smirked as she saw her escort catch himself on a branch. The cloth ripped when he tugged on it. "Shit! I liked this shirt, too." Kurenai took the opportunity to get ahead and out of sight. It worked. She could hear Shinya's yell of frustration when he realized she was gone. Deciding it was better to retrieve the other ring than have another scene like the previous night, Kurenai rushed towards the castle.

* * *

Hiei stopped in his tracks. He had sensed a familiar presence that was not that of Yoko or Kuronue. It was her! "Kurenai!" The apparition bolted in the direction the komori was in. Half a mile away, Yoko's ears perked up at Hiei's call. He looked to Kuronue who was behind him. "I heard him." the bat demon said. They, too, took off after the fire demon.

Kuronue took flight and saw the castle-like building in the distance. He looked down to see his good friend running through the forest below. It didn't take long for them to come upon the place. Hiei was already there when the fox and bat arrived. "Where is she?" demanded Kuronue. "Somewhere in there." Hiei said staring at the castle before them. "Hiei," The apparition turned his attention to Yoko. "Can you connect with her?" He didn't answer, but opened his mind to search for her. Kurenai's mind was then invaded by someone she thought she would never see again.

* * *

The komori was almost out of the palace, ring in her pocket. "Their security really sucks."  
she said with a smile. As much as she hated working for Rumaru, Kurenai loved going on these theft jobs. They got her away from the lightening demon and Shinya. But it was also fun. The thrill and excitement just overwhelmed her. "So this is why Father was a thief." She admired Kuronue very much. He was an excellent thief, a wonderful mate to Murasaki, and the best father Kurenai could've ever wished for. 'I wish I could see him again.' Putting the thought of Kuronue out of her mind, the komori strived forward.

Almost to the exit, a voice sounded in the girl's ears. "Kurenai!" Shocked, Kurenai barely dodged the metal spike that flew out of the wall at her. She tripped and wasn't able to regain her balance before the window was upon her. "Damn it." She couldn't turn around the corner and crashed through the window. Her wings folded around her body as she started to fall from the one hundred foot high floor.

The three men standing outside saw the black bundle falling out of the destroyed window.  
They knew immediately what it was when it unrolled and two wings expanded. Unfortunetly, something was wrong. While trying to catch herself in the air, Kurenai's right wing gave way. Unable to support her weight with an injured wing, Kurenai prepared for the impactwith the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, but she never made contact.

Instead of the hard ground, the komori realized she was being held by something soft. She opened her dark eyes only to meet red ones. "Hiei," she whispered. Hiei smiled at her. He put her down so she could stand. "Are you all right?" She nodded, still stunned that he was here. Her hand gently touched his cheek to make sure he was real. Hiei didn't pull away, leaning into her touch instead. "You're really here!" Kurenai exclaimed. The apparition nodded slightly. Unable to restrain herself, Kurenai wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.


	17. Underground Hideout

Yay! 30 reviews. I feel special. This chpt would have been up sooner, but we've been having computer problems. Hopefully u guys read the author note and hopefully u will try to do it. Plez. I've only got one right now and it's a good one. So get them in soon. Thank you!

And a special thanks to pinkwitch for sending me her poem/song. It was very good.

Chapter 17: Underground Hideout

A shocked Kuronue gawked at his daughter and the guy she was locked in a passionate kiss with. He was wide-eyed and glued to the ground. Yoko just stood there looking quite amused with the situation. It only took a minute before Kuronue snapped out of his daze. He then stormed over to the two still oblivious to their audience. One hand on each collar, the bat pulled Hiei and Kurenai apart, tossing them two feet away on each side.

Hiei and Kurenai stood up straight and looked at the one who had torn them apart. The girl's mouth dropped open a bit at the sight of the male komori. "Father?" Her dark eyes became moist. "Father!" Kurenai ran to her father. Kuronue hugged the girl tightly. "Kurenai," He gently caressed her hair. "I've missed you so much!" Kurenai said as she pulled back reluctantly. "How can this be?"

Placing both of his hands on his daughter's shoulders, Kuronue looked into her eyes. "Koenma brought me back to help find you." Kurenai's joyous expression faltered. "So you're leaving again." she said with remorse. "I knew this was too good to be true." She took a step back. Her wings expanded a bit making the komori gasp in pain. All three men quickly moved to her side. Kuronue gently pulled her right wing out with his hand. A rather large piece of blue tinted glass was lodged into the leathery skin.

"Must have buried itself there when you fell out." Yoko stated, examining the wound. Kuronue was about to verbally agree when they heard a call coming from the forest. "Damn it to hell." murmured Kurenai. The elder komori turned on his daughter, his eyebrows knitted in anger. "Watch your mouth, young lady." Hiei snickered at the parental command, which earned him an elbow in the chest from Kurenai. She folded her wings back in and said, "It's Shinya. You have to leave."

To add to their predicament, raging shouts from angry guards floated out of the palace. The girl quickly told them again that they had to leave. "No. You are coming with us back to the human world." Hiei said sternly. The sound of boots on wood was vibrating through Kurenai's ears. There was no way she was going to risk her loved ones getting hurt. "I can't leave yet. Rumaru will just come after me again. Look, I'm going back with Shinya." The fire demon opened his mouth to argue, but Kurenai put her index finger on his lips. "You can follow at a safe distance. Just don't do anything. Please," she begged them.

Kuronue and Yoko agreed, but the apparition still needed some convincing. Not knowing what else to do, Kurenai grabbed each side of Hiei's face making him look her in the eye. "I promise you that I will be okay." She pressed her lips against his, much to her father's disliking. "Fine." She gave them all a small smile and turned to leave.

The young komori found Shinya in less than a minute. "There you are! Did you get the ring?"  
he asked irritated. Inwardly Kurenai was laughing at Shinya's torn shirt and the scratches on his face. "Lose a battle against a tree?" she said sarcastically. Shinya's lips drew into a thin line. "Did you get the ring?" Kurenai nodded. "Good. Now let's..." He stopped when he saw the blood barely visible against her dark wing. "What happened?"

Shinya walked over to her and pulled out the komori's wing like Kuronue had done before.  
He spotted the piece of glass still wedged in the thin membrane. "Tripped and fell out the window." Kurenai explained with as little detail as possible. "Never thought you'd make such a careless mistake." he said. That got him a glare from the girl. He smirked. "Better get this out before it causes anymore damage. Lucky for you it missed your face. We wouldn't want such beauty scarred, now would we?"

The back of his hand slid down Kurenai's cheek. She slapped it away, pleasing Hiei very much. Without another word, Kurenai grasped the glass and yanked it out with no more hint of pain than a wince. She then turned on Shinya with anger burning in her eyes. "Keep your hands off me or this," She shook the sharp blood covered shard in front of his face for emphasis. "...will bury itself in your heart." The glass fell to the ground with a thud. "And you know all too well, Shinya, what Rumaru is like. With just a few sweet words I can convince him that you are worthless." She pushed her way past the shocked demon.

'Did she just...' Shinya whirled around and watched the girl's retreating form. Deciding to deal with this later, he stormed off behind her. Unknown to Shinya, three unexpected visitors silently followed.

* * *

The sun was taking it's last look at the world when Shinya and Kurenai finally came to a stop. Shinya's hearing wasn't extremely acute, so it was easy for the fox, bat, and apparition to follow without detection. They were now in the middle of the forest, surrounded by old, misshapen trees. Limbs moved around like flailing arms. The branches bent like claws reaching out to scratch and tear at whomever crossed by them.

Shinya strided over to a dying tree. He pulled back the weeds growing at the trunk of the enormous plant. The outline of a door was almost invisible to the naked eye, but it was there. The demon stood up straight, put his hand on the bark, and pushed. The chunk of tree outlined gave way and swung inward. Shinya stepped aside and extended his arm in a gesture of welcome. "Home sweet home." he said mockingly with a glint in his eye. Kurenai didn't reply. She walked past him into the hollow tree and started down the stairs, Shinya only a few steps behind.

As the door began to close, Hiei and Yoko made a move to go after them. "Don't follow them." Kuronue quickly told them. The two froze and watched the hidden door shut completely. Hiei looked at the komori with a stern glare then lunged at the tree. He did the same thing Shinya had done, but nothing happened. After five more attempts, each one more vigorous than the last, the only change was the color of Hiei's knuckles.

"Why the hell did you stop us? We could've made it!" said an angry apparition. Kuronue was unaffected by the threats that Hiei started mumbling. The kitsune, too, looked a bit frustrated with his friend. "I am sorry, but Kurenai said not to go in." explained the bat demon. "She also said to wait here and that she would be back soon." Yoko understood, but Hiei didn't care.

'That stubborn girl! Why wouldn't she just return with us? Once she is safe, I can kill this damned Rumaru.' Amongst his angry thoughts was a voice in Hiei's head continuously telling him that she was doing this to protect her friends. No matter how hard he tried, Hiei couldn't deny the truth in those words. Rumaru had nearly killed one of Kurenai's friends already. Who's to say he wouldn't destroy all of the Black Hearts next time if she leaves? Lost in his own mind, the apparition was not aware of the conversation going on behind his back.

"Yoko, how did that little devil trick my daughter into kissing him?" Kuronue had been itching to find out what had conspired between his baby girl and the vile creature before him. The kitsune barely managed to hide his chuckle at the question. "Hiei did not trick anyone. Kurenai has developed feelings for him of her own free will." Yoko's smile only grew at the disbelief evident in his partner's face. "And you did nothing to stop it?" the komori accused. "There is no reason to stop their relationship. I'm sorry to inform you of this, my old friend, but Kurenai is no longer a child. She has grown into a beautiful young woman who will act as her hormones tell her to."

Kuronue knew the last part was said only to tease him, but it still scared him to the core,  
although he didn't let it show. He tried to relax while they waited impatiently, all the time thinking that he was going to have a serious talk about the subject with Kurenai later.

"I think I've got a way to get in." Yoko said at long last. It had been only ten minutes, but something wasn't right. All of them sensed something wrong. "The door must only open to a familiar aura. If we recreate one of those auras, we could trick the door into allowing us entrance." "Is that possible?" Hiei asked skeptically. He knew it was, but the only time he'd seen it done was by a demon god. None of them possessed the power of a demon god, so it was highly unlikely that they could create a fake aura.

"Nice thinking, Yoko." "What?" Hiei questioned again. "I could try to only focus on Kurenai and possibly be able to do it." Kuronue said. That was it. Hiei was now pissed at being left out of this idea. "One of you better tell me what is going on before someone gets hurt." "I apologize, Hiei. It seems that Kuronue and I still think alike after all of these years. Yes, it is possible for one of us to recreate another person's aura. It is difficult, but can be done. Since Kuronue's blood runs through Kurenai's veins, he can create her aura by concentrating only on her. Does that make sense?" Yoko's explanation was still a bit confusing, but Hiei nodded anyway.

Kuronue stood in front of the dying tree. He placed his hand on the bark and closed his eyes. Yoko and Hiei stood still, careful not to make a sound. The komori focused his mind on nothing but Kurenai. A strange tingling feeling ran through him. Concentrating even harder, the tingling sensation intensified until it felt as though his blood was on fire. But it was soon over as he felt the door give in. He opened his eyes and saw the staircase inside the hollow tree.

The kitsune came up and clapped him on the back. "Excellent." The three of them began to descend the long staircase. It looked like it was neverending, but they eventually reached the bottom. "This guy must like his privacy." Kuronue commented. He took a step into what they assumed was the hall that would lead them to Kurenai, and was welcomed by a piercing scream.

* * *

There you go. Hope u enjoyed. And don't forget to send me ur songs! Thank u! Review!


	18. Death's Shadow Lingers

Konnichiwa, minna-san! O genki desuka? (translation: hello,everyone. how are you?). Hope you guys and gals enjoy this chpt. R&R! And let me know how I did on the whole Rumaru-attacking-Kurenai thing and Kuronue's reaction. Doomo arigato gozaimasu! (trans.: thank you very much)

Chapter 18: Death's Shadow Lingers

Shinya and Kurenai walked into the largest room in the west section of the underground tunnels. Just as the komori suspected, Rumaru was sitting at the opposite end waiting for them. The demon stood and walked closer to his two servants. "Ah, you're back. Do you have it?" he said directing it towards the silent bat demon. Kurenai pulled the ring out of her pocket and tossed it onto the floor at Rumaru's feet. Shinya moved away from the girl, not wanting to attract any electricity that Rumaru may strike the komori with.

Rumaru cocked an eyebrow at the gold trinket resting on the cold stone in front of him. He held his palm out over the ring and looked at Kurenai. "Well done." The ring floated from the hard surface to the demon's outstretched hand. Kurenai remained completely still and silent as Rumaru came closer to her. "Would you mind telling me how you acquired such a wound?" The man reached out to touch the injured wing, but Kurenai stepped out of his reach. She stared hard at him for a moment then turned to leave. "Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet." Rumaru said with a hint of anger.

The komori halted in the doorway, but didn't turn around. Keeping her temper in check she said, "I'm tired. I am going to bed." She couldn't see the smile forming on Rumaru's lips, but Shinya could. And he knew it wasn't good. He scrambled forward to stop the lightening demon. "She had a rough day. Why not just let her get some rest before-" Shinya's attempt to save Kurenai from anymore pain wasn't successful.

"You stay out of this!" A bolt of lightening flashed and hit Shinya in the chest pushing him back. This caught the komori's attention for she had never seen Rumaru strike Shinya before. She spun around and gasped softly when Rumaru was but a few inches from her face. The hand of the demon shot out and grabbed her throat. "What are you hiding!" he yelled in her face.

By this time Rumaru had lifted Kurenai off the floor. Her legs were kicking wildly, her hands clawing ferociously at the hand squeezing her throat. She gasped for air while her attacker held her against the wall. Rumaru moved his face closer to Kurenai's. "Do you take me for a fool, Kurenai? I know you're keeping something from me." he whispered harshly. The man's grip loosened, allowing Kurenai to breathe. Still keeping both hands on Rumaru's arm, which was now covered in bloody scratches, the komori stopped struggling. "Now tell me what it is you are hiding and I might not kill you." Rumaru continued. He leaned in and planted a light kiss upon the girl's lips, giving Kurenai the chance to strike.

The demon stumbled back staring blankly at the dagger protruding from his abdomen. Kurenai fell to the floor coughing. She eyed Rumaru with surprise as a grin found its way onto his face. Shinya saw this and rushed over to Kurenai. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. Get up." The komori staggered a bit, but used the wall to regain her balance. "He is going to kill you, Kurenai, if you don't fess up to whatever it is you're hiding." Shinya sternly told her.

That was true, and Kurenai knew it. She glanced at the filthy demon who was now laughing maniacally. 'He'll do it.' she concluded. 'He'll end my life here and now if I keep quiet.' Her eyes moved to rest on Shinya's angry and fearful features. Not only would Rumaru kill her, but Shinya would do nothing about it, only watch. Kurenai slapped his hand away. "Fuck you, Shinya." The man was aghast at the bat's words. Kurenai went on. "Don't pretend like you care for anyone but yourself. You don't give a damn if I die. The only problem my death poses for you is that you'll need to find another girl to go after." she spat with venom.

"Oh, well said." This received the two fueding demon's attention. They watched Rumaru yank the obstruction from his body and throw it across the room. "So, what do you say, my dear Kurenai? Serve me or serve in hell?" he offered with a malicious grin. His eyes darkened a bit when a smile spread over Kurenai's lips. The komori pushed away from the wall, strided forward a few steps, and rose to her full height. She spit at the man's feet and said strongly, "I would rather die a thousand deaths than continue to serve under the likes of you."

Rumaru expected as much from such a stubborn girl. "Just like the bitch who gave birth to you." he grumbled. The komori hissed at the name he dared call her mother. Rumaru ignored her. "She, too, refused me when I came before her those many years ago with the same proposition. And in return," He let the words hang in the air as recognition was in Kurenai's features. "It was you." she said barely above a whisper before screaming, "Bastard! You killed my mother!" Kurenai launched herself at the man before her, but she never made it.

An electric shock ran through the young woman's body. In an instant it's voltage had multiplied by what felt like a hundred fold. Kurenai had become a living lightening conductor. A cry of ultimate suffering escaped her throat, vibrating off the walls. The armband shattered and the pieces fell to the floor unheard over the painfilled scream. Rumaru's attack had already gotten deep inside her which meant the piece of metal was no longer needed. And it was too late to prevent anymore harm by the time the three men ran into the room.

Yoko, Kuronue, and Hiei stood motionless in the doorway, looking at the illuminated form of the girl they all cared for. She was dieing before their eyes and they couldn't believe it.  
Hiei was the first to snap out of it. He saw Rumaru cackling in front of Kurenai. The apparition teleported behind the foul demon and slashed at his neck with the katana. Rumaru moved out of the sword's path at the last moment, but Hiei didn't care that he'd missed. He just wanted to distract Rumaru's attention away from Kurenai.

The kitsune and komori regained their senses when the light disintegrated as Rumaru stopped his lightening attack. Kuronue rushed forward to catch his daughter before she fell to the floor. He looked down with gentle eyes at the unconsious girl in his arms. Kurenai's face was covered in small scratches, and blood trickled down her chin from the corner of her mouth. Her upper left arm had a bruised impression of the armband, and a bruised handprint around her neck. She was also shaking violently from the shock.

"Kurenai," whispered Kuronue. He pushed back her hair away from her face. Yoko came up behind him and looked over Kurenai's injuries. "Stay here with her." Yoko told him. "Hiei and I can take care of-" "No." The komori cut him off. "I will destroy the beast that did this to Kurenai." Kuronue may be dead, but his heart was as alive as anyone's. All the kitsune could do was nod. His friend was right, he had every right to kill Rumaru. Kuronue handed his daughter over to Yoko. He then walked to where Rumaru and Hiei were having a stand off. "Rumaru!" Both demons tore their glares away from each other and gave the bat their attention. "I'm the one you're after." Kuronue said with anger easily recognized on his features.

Hiei did not argue. He was not going to deny a father the chance to confront his daughter's attacker. Kuronue nodded to the fire demon and Hiei bowed his head as well before running to Kurenai's side. Rumaru watched the exchange patiently. When Hiei had gone, the demon turned to face his rival. "Back from the grave?" he questioned with a slight grin. "I had unfinished business to attend to." the komori replied. "Now tell me why you exact revenge upon my child for a crime I committed. Are you such a coward that you can't face your true enemy?" The lightening demon did nothing but snarl at the insult. His wrath fueled by the thought of this entire event, Kuronue continued.

"Tell me your reason for doing this. Explain to me how murdering a young woman will give you the satisfaction that your son's death has been avenged. Let me hear what I want to hear. Make the last words you speak before I rip your throat out be an explanation to your devilish deeds." Fear started to take refuge in Rumaru's gut at the komori's words, which were filled with malice and ultimately promised a painful death. There was no doubt in Rumaru's mind that the demon before him was incapable of ripping him limb from limb. It then occured to him that in Kuronue's present state, there was not the slightest chance of victory for him.

Kuronue's endless black eyes bore into Rumaru's. He soon came to the conclusion that if Rumaru had come after Kurenai then he had gone after Murasaki as well. This beast took the life from his lover's body and almost succeeded in doing the same to his only child. After all that Rumaru had done, there was not a chance in hell that his heart would beat for much longer.


	19. Trick of Death

I'm soooooooo sorry for this long update. I had midterms all last week and I was stressed out all that time. Once again, I'm sooooooooooooo soooooorrrryyyyyy!Plez forgive me! R and R! Enjoy!

Chapter 19: Trick of Death

Yoko gently placed Kurenai on the ground far away from the beginning battle. He was taking a closer look at her injuries when Hiei blinked next to him. "How is she?" he asked quickly and with hard breathing. Yoko growled in response. "The armband must have been modified to leak electrical power directly into the wearer's body. And the son of a bitch must have attempted to strangle her." He gestured to Kurenai's black and blue bruises on her neck and arm. "I won't know exactly how much damage that lightening did until she regains consciousness."

"If she regains consciousness." The two demons sent dangerous looks at the one who spoke. Shinya was walking over to them with a blank expression. "Stay the hell away from her." Hiei demanded standing protectively in front of Kurenai. "Heh," Shinya laughed at the apparition's protective action. He stopped about two yards away, leaned on the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't understand why she chose you over me." the cocky demon wondered aloud, purposely trying to anger Hiei. But to Shinya's surprise, the fire demon remained in his spot.

Taking the chance to cut in, Yoko asked, "How deadly was that electric attack?" Shinya directed his attention to the fox. He sighed and answered, "As deadly as it looked. Her scream should be enough to gauge the pain, don't you think?" Yoko was afraid of this, but Shinya seemed to draw pleasure from the kitune's distress. And so he continued. "There is a chance she'll live, but there is just as great a chance she'll die."

No sooner had the words left Shinya's mouth, Hiei was standing on the other side of the blue-haired demon, blood dripping from his blade. That would have been a death blow had the intended victim not moved at the last second. Shinya crouched on the ground, clutching his sidein agony. Hiei swung his katana in the air to remove most of the blood from the shiny metal. He then stalked over to the injured demon. "You caught me off guard." Shinya hissed. "But you're not the only one with fast reflexes."

In a black and blue blur, Shinya drew his broad sword and lunged at Hiei. Yoko was surprised at how fast he moved. Hie speed almost matched that of the fire apparition. Hiei, too, was in awe, but had no time to ponder. Barely blocking Shinya's attack, Hiei stepped around and slashed at his opponent's unprotected neck. Shinya spun out of the sword's path, countering with an upward strike. Back and forth they exchanged blows, neither doing more damage than a few scratches.

Despite the gash in his right side, Shinya only grew fiercer with each strike. His growing rage soon paid off. when Hiei went in to fake an attack to the legs only to redirect it upward, Shinya thrust his sword through an open space. Hiei stopped mid-attack and jumped away from his opponent. He gripped his right shoulder where Shinya's sword had pierced his skinto the other side.'Damn it." he mentally cursed, not wishing to allow Shinya to see him in such a disadvantage.

'Hiei,' Gripping his chest tighter, Hiei's eyes widened and he glanced over to Kurenai. That was her delicate voice, but she still lay motionless on the ground, eyes closed to the pursuing battles. 'Hiei, are you hurt?' This time he was sure it was her. 'Kurenai?' his thought went out to her. 'Who else would it be?' she replied. Hiei frowned. You'd think the girl could be a bit sympathetic if she sensed him in pain but no, she had to be snappy.

Ignoring Kurenai's attitude, the apparitionsaid, 'How are you using telepathy if you're unconscious?' There was a pause before Kurenai came back with, 'Just because my limbs aren't working doesn't mean my brain isn't. Now what is going on?' 'Your father is fighting Rumaru, I'm fighting his lacky, and Kurama is with you.' Hiei heard the komori mentally sigh in pain. 'Save your energy. Let me finish this demon off and the I'll-' Their mental connection suddenly broke, Kurenai's hearing opening to allow her to hear the death cry of one of the combatants.

Kurenai struggled to open her eyes, move her arms, anything to come out of her present state. Her dark eyes slowly opened. "Hiei," she coughed out along with some drops of blood. She pushed herself upright to a sitting position despite Yoko and her body's protests. The bat demon looked around for Hiei and Shinya. When she caught sight of them, she sighed in relief. Shinya was lying on the ground dead from a stab wound to the heart. Hiei stood triumphantly next to the body.

"Kurenai, lay back down." scowled Yoko as he tried to push her back down. She refused and pushed the kitsune's hands away. "I'm fine." the komori sighed. Pulling her feet in closer to the rest of her body, Kurenai tried to stand up. Immediately she fell back down with a yelp. "Ow. That hurt." she whined. Hiei had seen her failed attempt to stand and rushed over. "Stop moving around before you hurt yourself even more." Hiei commanded when he knelt beside her. Ignoring Kurenai's insulting mumbles, the apparition looked at Kurama.

"Her attitude is intact so I assume she'll be fine in time." the fox said with a smile. Kurenai sent a dirty look at her godfather, then focused her attention on the lone figures in the of the room. Standing in fighting stances, Kuronue and Rumaru were facing off in a battle that would determine who would die, for the first time or the second. The lightening demon was panting for air, his body aching all over. His opponent had thrown him around with punches and kicks that were more powerful than the average A class demon. Even though these attacks took a lot of effort, the komori showed no signs of fatigue.

"Father!" called Kurenai. She once again tried to stand, but was only forced back down by the men beside her. "Stop moving." the apparition demanded. "I have to help my father. He's in danger." she replied while struggling against Yoko and Hiei's grips on her arms. The kitsune looked at the male komori and then to Kurenai. "He's not in danger, Kurenai. Your father has the upper hand. He's not even hurt." he told her.

"No! He's not safe. Rumaru is a sleazy trickster. I've seen what he does when he's losing a fight." The worry in Kurenai's eyes was overflowing with tears. She eventually got to her feet, stumbling towards the center of the room. "Let go of me." Pulling her arms free, Kurenai used all of her strength to run towards Kuronue. "Father!" Kuronue quickly glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Hiei appear in fornt of his daughter, stopping her progress to him.

The komori squirmed in Hiei's arms. "Let me go!" In anger and frustration, Kurenai threw her elbow back, catching Hiei in the jaw. The sudden pain loosened his grip, but he tightened it as soon as he got over the initial shock. "Father!" Kuronue smiled at the girl, and in that gesture told his daughter how much he loved her. Kurenai knew what he was doing.

"Kurenai, come on. Kuronue will be fine." Hiei tried to calm her down for her own sake. But his efforts failed. Rumaru noticed Kurenai's behavior, and knew what she was thinking. 'What am I going to do? This bat surpasses me in strength and possibly in intelligence.' Rumaru's voice echoed in Kurenai's head. 'And yet...ther is something here that I can use to my advantage.' The female komori's eyes went wide just before pain errupted in her skull. She fell to her knees clutching her pounding head.

Kuronue saw his daughter collapse and turned to go to her. "Kurenai!" This was Rumaru's chance, and he wasted no time in taking it. While Kuronue was distracted by his child's distress, Rumaru raised his arms in the air and mumbled something. using the negative charged particles in the air, Rumaru created crackling gold blades in the air surrounding Kuronue. The demon's laughing filled the room. "Fools! You think you can win against me? I am all powerful!" The charged blades closed in at fast speed.

Time went in slow motion in Yoko's eyes. He was seeing his friend's life being threatened again. He saw the sheets of bamboo streaking down from the sky. He saw the lightening blades coming down towards Kuronue. It was just like last time. Kuronue was trapped and the kitsune was powerless to safe him. "Kuronue!" The komori saw it and quickly yelled, "Forget about me! Get Kurenai out of here!" Kurenai's head stopped pounding, but it was too late. "Father!"


	20. Unfortunate End

Here's the next chappie. And I'm pretty sure this one isn't a cliffy...or is it? R&R!

Chapter 20: Unfortunate End

"Father!" Not a second later the blades fell. There was a blast of light that blinded them all. "Hiei!" Yoko yelled from somewhere in the room. The light wore away and was replaced by a cloud of dust. Hiei looked around for the kitsune, but was distracted by a loud rumbling sound. A glance up to the roof proved his suspicions. The place was coming down.

"Kurama! We have to get out of here. The place is going to cave-in." the apparition yelled to his friend when he caught sight of him. Yoko tore his eyes from where Kuronue had been. He couldn't save Kuronue, but he'd be damned if he couldn't save Kurenai, too. He turned his head towards said girl. Kurenai was still staring at where her father had been. She was in shock and had gone limp in Hiei's arms. The rumbling became louder making the kitsune look above the couple. "Hiei! Move!"

The apparition was able to pick up Kurenai and make it to Yoko before a stone spike plummeted from the roof. It exploded on contact with the ground where Hiei and Kurenai had been standing. More rocks continued to fall after the initial one. Both men searched the room, but there was no sign of Rumaru. "There's no time to look for him. Let's go." stated Yoko.

By now Kurenai had recovered from her state of shock. She heard Yoko and Hiei talking about leaving. 'We can't leave. Father is still here. And that bastard is still alive.' she thought. As they began to run to the exit, Kurenai became more aware of her surroundings. "No," she murmured, but the men didn't hear her. Desperate for their attention, Kurenai gripped Hiei's shirt and pulled on it. The apparition looked down at her without slowing his pace. "Stop. We have to help him. Please." the koomori pleaded.

Hiei didn't know what to say. They couldn't go back, but he wasn't going to tell her that her father was dead either. She had gone through that pain once before and it was even worse this time. Kurenai had seen the elder koomori die. Saying nothing, Hiei only held the girl tighter. Just with that single gesture, the koomori knew they weren't going back.

Fighting against her emotions, Kurenai squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, they were right near the exit. The bat demon squirmed in her love's arms. "What are you doing?" Hiei asked irritated. He and the kitsune stopped to try to get the girl to stop. "Put me down." ordered Kurenai. Hiei was going to protest, but the determination in Kurenai's eyes silenced him. Reluctantly he let her stand on her own feet. She looked each male in the eye then sprinted out of the cave and up the stairs. Hiei and Yoko followed.

The three of them rushed out of the tree and continued to run until the sound of the collapsed hideout could be heard. They came to a halt outside of the forest. Yoko and Hiei looked back, but the koomori kept her eyes on the ground in front of her. Her body ached all over, her arm throbbed from the deep bruise, and her wings were sore from the rocks as she fled the cave.

She felt her godfather's clawed hand on her shoulder, and turned to face him. "He fought well. And he risked his life to save mine." stated Kurenai. With a look of sympathy, Yoko nodded. "Is that how it was the first time he was killed?" The kitsune sighed. "Yes. Kuronue used his last breath telling me to runaway." It took him a second to realize that that was exactly what he told the demon god who disguised himself as Kuronue. Yoko was surprised to see a smile on Kurenai's lips. "I'm proud of him." the koomori said answering her godfather's curiosity.

That smile didn't last long. Like a reoccuring nightmare, the repulsing sound of a certain lightening demon's voice echoed in Kurenai's head. The girl hissed and frantically looked around. She spotted the demon standing on a boulder off to the right. Instinctively, Kurenai armed herself with the scythe at her waist. "Do you have a death wish, asshole?" shouted Kurenai. Her companions gawked at her in disbelief. This man just killed her father and she was acting as if he were the school bully.

"Oh, of course not. It's quite the opposite, you see." Rumaru crossed his arms and shifted his weight to the other leg. "I have a proposition for you, my dear Kurenai." Hiei moved forward, but the koomori held out her arm to stop him. "No. He's mine." she told him. Walking forward, Kurenai tightened her grip on the blade. She stopped a few yards away from the boudler. "And what would this proposition be, Rumaru?"

The demon smiled wickedly at the young woman. "Since I have now completed my revenge against your dead father, I wish to improve my status here in Makai. In order to do that, I need some help. This is my offer to you, become my right-hand-man, or woman in this case." Kurenai had held on to a false smile during Rumaru's explanation, but inside her anger was boiling over. How could he have the nerve to ask something like that of her?

"I'll tell you what. I will let you have a personal insight into what I think about your offer." With a quick hand, Kurenai's sharp scythe was headed right for Rumaru's chest. The demon slapped the blade aside effortlessly. Using the momentu, from Rumaru's push, the koomori spun around, allowing the chain to pul the blade in a 360 degree spin. It redirected it's target to Rumaru's neck.

The lightening demon thought this a move a child would make. He took a step back to evade the weapon, but he soon realized his mistake. Gone unnoticed was an extra foot of chain that Kurenai had wrapped around her wrist. The blade went past the head of it's victim, and with a jerk on the chain, came back towards Kurenai. Rumaru screamed as the scythe buried itself halfway through his neck. His eyes looked at Kurenai in amazement. Then he fell to the ground, rolling off the boulder, dead.

Not only was Rumaru amazed at the skillfull handling of the blade and chain, but the kitsune and fire apparition were, too. Kurenai walked over to the body and pulled the weapon free of the neck. She wiped it clean using Rumaru's cape. When she turned to return to her friend's sides, the sound of clapping could be heard from behind the men. They all turned and saw something they couldn't believe. Or more like someone.

The demon was leaning against a tree and applauding Kurenai's kill. "Well done. You've come a long way since last I saw you use that scythe." he said smiling at the girl. He pushed away from the tree, walked past Yoko and Hiei, and stopped in front of the young koomori. Kurenai couldn't help but smile back. "I learned from the best." she said. Not able to stand it any longer, Kurenai lunged at her father.

Kuronue held her tight. "It's over. Rumaru can never harm you or anyone else again." he said reassuringly. Kurenai shook her head againsthis chest. As she remembered everything that Rumaru had done, she began to panic. She pulled away from Kuronue, and turned to the other two men. "How's Sanzo?" she asked, worried about her brother figure. Yoko gently smiled. "He's awake. The doctors said he would make a full recovery. And Botan informed us that Sanzo is well on his way."

This information pleased Kurenai. Her mind was at ease, but only for a moment. "Wait. Since Rumaru's dead," She turned back to her father. "...you have to leave again, don't you?" Kuronue sighed. He cupped Kurenai's face in his hands. "Let's not think about that right now. First we must get you home." he told her. She forced a smile, but was crushed under the facade. "Okay."


	21. Goodbye and Hello

I'm back with the next and final chapter of this story. I hate to see it come to an end, but it must at some point. I hope all of you readers enjoyed Old Memories Relived as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to all my readers. Now, onto the chpt wrap up!

Discalimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Nor do I own the song thingie used at the end of this chapter. That belongs to Pinkwitch1 and I thank her for allowing me to use it.

Chapter 21: Goodbye and Hello

As soon as the bell rang, Yusuke and Kuwabara bolted out of the school. They stopped at the gate to allow Keiko to catch up. Earlier that day, they were visited by Botan with some good news. She had told them that Kurama and Hiei were coming back today. They were all going to meet at Kurenai's apartment. Once Keiko had joined them, they all left the school grounds.

Within minutes they had made it to the building. They quickly made their way up the stairs and knocked on the designated door. There was shuffling on the other side before the door opened. Botan ushered them in and to the living room. The teens were greeted by Hiei and Kurama, no longer in his demon form.

"How is she?" Yusuke asked. "Kurenai will be fine. She's changing right now." Keiko was startled by the man who spoke and stepped behind Yusuke. They all looked to the demon coming out of Kurenai's room. "I'm sorry if I frightened you." Kuronue apologized to the young woman. "Keiko, this is Kuronue, Kurenai's father." explained Kurama. Keiko managed a weak smile as greeting. "So, what happened?" Kuwabara asked. "We no longer have to concern ourelves with Rumaru or his undrling." stated Hiei.

A few minutes passed until the bedroom door opened. Kurenai came out in human form carrying her leather jacket. She had a simple pair of blue jeans and a tanktop on with her boots. There was a bandage around her arm to hide the bruised and punctured skin. A scarf covered the bruise across her throat. Her injuries would heal within a few days, but she couldn't wait that long to visit the hospital. She greeted the others and assured them she was fine. "Way to go killing Rumaru." Yusuke commented. He got a thanks in return. After that it was silent.

"Um," Botan began hesitantly. "I'm sorry, but I must take Kuronue back to Spirit World." The male koomori looked to Kurama and then Botan. "Could we have a moment?" he asked. The spirit guide nodded. Her and everyone else filed out of the room. Once they were alone, Kuronue turned to his daughter. "Well, you and HIei, huh? Just know that Kurama will be watching you. Plus you better keep up your grades in school, listen to Kurama and this Sanzo fellow, and..." "Dad, chill." Kurenai said stopping the man's rambling. Kuronue smiled at her. "I'm very proud of you, Kurenai. Your mother is, too. We may not reside in the living realm anymore, but we are always with you. And we will always love you." he told her. The younger bat demon hugged her father tightly. "I love you, too." she said.

As much as they didn't want to let go, they knew it had to be done. Kuronue pulled away and called for Botan. The others came back in along with the blue-haired woman. "I'm ready." Kuronue stated. "Very well." Botan walked to the center of the room and created the rift to Spirit World. Before he went to it, Kuronue gripped Kurama's shoulders. "Take care of yourself, and my daughter." he said looking the kitsune in the eye. "I will." This put a smile on the koomori's face. With one last look at Kurenai, he disappeared into the portal followed by Botan.

Kurenai turned to face her friends after the rift closed. Hiei walked over to her. "Will you be all right?" he asked sincerely. "Yes." she replied. "I appreciate your concern. Kurama," The fox gave her his attention. "Can we go to the hospital?" she asked. "Of course."

On their way to the hospital, Keiko said she had to get home and headed off in the opposite direction. Kurenai was quiet during the walk. Out of courtesy and sympathy the four guys kept quiet as well. Upon reaching the hospital , the boys remained by the door while Kurenai went up to the front desk. A pang of guilt welled up in Kurenai's stomach. It was her fault her guardian was in here anyway. "Excuse me." she said. The woman glanced up and a look of recognition was displayed on her face. "Kurenai, is it?" The koomori was surprised that the woman knew her name. "How did you know?" "Oh, Mr.Kishiro kept a picture of him and his band on his bedside table the whole time he was here. He would talk to me about all of you when I asked. Are you here to see him?" Kurenai nodded.

"I'm sorry, but he's not here anymore." the woman told her cheerfully. "What?" "He was discharged this morning." Kurenai sighed in relief. "Thank you." She turned around and bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry." She looked up to apologize to the man. "Are you sorry for bumping into me or disappearing for a month?" he said. Closing her eyes and swallowing her guilt, Kurenai prepared to explain the well thought out lie she had come up with.

"Just tell me this. Was it important?" Sanzo stated sternly. The child he was responsible for tensed and replied, "Yes." The hardcore look on the man's face faded, replaced by a gentle smile. "Then I trust you. You don't have to explain anything to me." he said. Kurenai was surprised at how he was acting about this whole thing. She had taken off without a word to anyone and was gone for more than a month. And yet Sanzo harbored no ill will towards her.

"How are you feeling?" Kurenai asked. "I'm all right. Still in a bit of pain and restricted from doing pretty much anything except lie in bed, but otherwise fine." he replied. "Good to hear it." Sanzo looked the girl over with a sharp eye. "Are you okay?" The koomori glanced over to her friends by the door and then back at Sanzo. "Never better."

* * *

The Underworld was bustling with laughter at the bar in celebration of Sanzo's restored health. The Black Hearts toasted with their beers and the other with their sodas, since Kurenai still refused to serve them alcohol. "For the man who knew better than to die on us." Iwasaki said as the cups clanked together. They all took a sip of their beverages, some gulping down the entire thing. "Well, time to start the show." Ryo stated, putting his drink down on the counter. "Let's go." Sanzo, Togusa, Ryo, and Iwasaki stood up to head to the stage. "Rei, you coming?" "In a sec."

Kurenai led the others to a table up front as she had done once before. Keiko dragged Yusuke onto the dance floor and were followed by Kuwabara. The other two sat down in the chairs. "Having fun?" asked Kurenai leaning on the table with her arms. "Indeed." replied Kurama. The girl threw him a smile then turned to Hiei. "What about you?" Hiei answered with his usual "Hn."

The koomori sighed. She walked behind his chair, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. "You're hopeless." she said. Hiei smirked, lightly squeezing Kurenai's arm in return. The kitsune smiled at the couple, silently agreeing with Kurenai. "You should be getting up there." he said. "You're right. I'll be back in a bit." She then walked off.

"She's changed." Hiei stated after the koomori left. "Yes, she has. But for the better." Kurama looked to where the girl was on stage. Clearly visible around Kurenai's neck was the red and silver pendant. It was then that Kurama remembered the dream he continuously had before he'd reunited with his goddaughter. Those nightly visions had ceased when they returned from Makai. Maybe this is what his conscious was trying to tell him. He never lost Kuronue. His partner's spirit lives on inside his daughter. Kurama sighed. His mind was now at peace. He was able to look at Kurenai and see an everlasting memory of joy.

"I'm the darkness of the moon,  
I'm the darkness here for you.  
Can't hide it, oh, you can't hide  
What's inside your heart.  
I'm your demon, I'm your love  
And you know that you need me  
To make your life complete.  
Come and prove you love me, baby, please."

* * *

Ya like? Review plez. And check out my other stories plez.


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